F1 News: Sebastian Vettel reveals driver with most "raw speed" he faced in Formula 1

Vettel is full of praise for his former teammate.

Sebastian Vettel says that Kimi Raikkonen is the driver with the most natural ability that he raced against in his Formula 1 career.

Vettel has competed against several F1 Champions throughout his career, often fighting the likes of Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton for race victories. 

However, it is instead the calm, collected Iceman - Kimi Raikkonen - that the four-time Champion has identified as his most talented adversary in Formula 1. 

Vettel and Raikkonen spent several seasons as teammates at Ferrari, and the Finnish driver has evidently left a strong impression. 

Speaking in the Beyond the Grid podcast, Vettel discussed what made Raikkonen such a formidable opponent:

"I think Kimi [Raikkonen] is actually the biggest natural talent I've come across, ever", racingnews365 quote Vettel as saying.

"Just in terms of raw speed, I think. It shows in the car, obviously, but it shows also in any other form of car. 

"If there was a discipline of switching cars every day, after 10 days, Kimi will be lapping everyone else. Just because he's a natural. 

"It doesn't take time [for Kimi] to adapt to the car, to what the car requires. You give him a steering wheel, and he knows what to do."

There are several candidates that could be named as Vettel's most talented opponent, so this description of Raikkonen is an extremely complimentary one. 

It would be unfair to suggest that Raikkonen produced his best results in his final years with Ferrari, often failing to match Vettel's performances in the Italian squad. 

Still, as Kimi demonstrated in 2019 with Alfa Romeo, the 2007 Champion was capable of producing exceptional performances even in the later stages of his career. 

Raikkonen's final years at Ferrari might have tainted his otherwise formidable record in F1, but there is no denying the ability of the Finnish driver.