Sainz: 'Vettel wrote a letter to me when he left Red Bull'

"I have a lot of respect for Sebastian, and I think we are similar in terms of character traits," Sainz told the Spanish SoyMotor.com. In recent years, Vettel does not seem to be performing at the top of his game in Formula 1, but Sainz has a lot of respect for the German. "I think he is one of the drivers who will mark an era in Formula 1, regardless of the most difficult years."

Letter to Red Bull staff

After the 2014 season, Vettel made the switch to Ferrari. "The day he said goodbye to Red Bull in 2014, I was working on the simulator. He felt that my work had been important for him and for the whole team, and he was kind enough to say goodbye to Red Bull by sending me a letter. He sent it to everyone, and it wasn't the same, but personalized for each member of the team," Sainz says.

The 26-year-old Madrian will never forget what went into that letter. "He knew that I had spent hours at four in the morning giving advice on the set-up for the Grand Prix in Australia. And he was kind enough to send me a letter thanking me for that effort on the simulator and the hours of work I had put in. Since then I have a special affection for him. And I have a relationship that goes beyond the cameras."

Sainz doesn't know if he's ever told Vettel that in person, but if not he says he's going to do so one day anyway. Next season, Sainz will at least try to achieve better performances than Vettel, who finished only 13th in the world championship in his final season at Ferrari.