Michael Schumacher said he believes that Sebastian Vettel can follow in his footsteps and become World Champion.
Seven-times World Champ hails youngster's genes
Michael Schumacher has revealed his admiration for up-and-coming countryman Sebastian Vettel, with the seven-times World Champion believing that the 21-year-old can follow in his footsteps.
Schumacher was speaking at Sunday's Race of Champions event at Wembley, where he and Vettel teamed up to retain the Nations Cup for Germany.
Neither progressed beyond the last eight of the Champion of Champions, with Vettel losing out to eventual winner Sebastien Loeb, who took the honours for the third time in six years.
However, Schumacher said he thought that Vettel, who became the youngest winner of a Grand Prix last season when he took the chequered flag at Monza, has the talent to go all the way.
"I enjoy watching him. He has his own character, which he needs to develop, and then the results will come," he said.
"He has the genes to become world champion one day, something he has demonstrated this year."
Vettel won the Italian Grand Prix for Toro Rosso, his move to the sister Red Bull team having already been announced during the summer.
And, despite admitting he would like to emulate Schumacher and take the title driving for Ferrari, Vettel said he was looking forward to making his race debut for the Milton Keynes-based outfit.
"I'm feeling good about next year," he said. "There's still a lot of work ahead of us, but we are willing to work long and hard to get things right."
Guarded backing
Vettel also gave guarded backing to the decision, announced by the FIA on Friday, to introduce a number of measures over the next several seasons with the intention of cutting costs.
"As a driver I can appreciate why all the changes were made, to safeguard the future of the sport," Vettel continued.
"We will have to see what difference they make. At the moment it's too early to judge because there are a lot of new things already executed, and a lot of
new things still in discussion.
"It's difficult to say what to expect because many of the changes seem too far away right now.
"But whatever comes in we will have to deal with it. As a driver all you do is sit in the box and try to do your best."
Vettel added that Honda's decision to withdraw from F1, a situation that arguably forced such swift action by the FIA and the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA), came as "a shock for everybody".
"It was the worst scenario for the drivers and the whole team. A lot of guys look set to lose their jobs," he added.
"But hopefully they can find a buyer and keep on racing because I think for next year, their car is near-enough ready or done."
There are suggestions French car manufacturer PSA, who make Peugeot and Citroen, are in the running to buy Honda.
