has explained that was the reason why he did not win a Formula One title at , while speaking in depth on their relationship as two of the sport's most successful drivers. The German star retired in 2022 with four drivers' championships to his name, which all came with between 2010 and 2013.

Vettel had six successful years at Red Bull before moving to Ferrari, with Hamilton making a similar iconic switch a decade later, but the German could not repeat his success from the previous years at Maranello.

He had two second-placed finishes in six years and during that time won every single drivers' championship. Hamilton racked up five while team-mate won in 2016.

Vettel has placed the blame on his lack of success with Ferrari with Hamilton, telling programme: "Well, for me, it didn't quite work because Lewis was there, so let's see now how he will get on."

The 37-year-old shared that he enjoys a positive relationship with Hamilton despite this and is in the Brit's corner for the coming season, adding: "My fingers crossed. Obviously, I've raced him a long time. We get along really well and he's by far the most outspoken driver on the grid at the minute. His on-track skills don't need to be repeated.

"I think the numbers and statistics speak for themselves. But it's great to see that he's still on the grid and he still has that influence and uses it in a positive manner. So naturally, my fingers are crossed for him to win the championship."

After a Covid-disrupted 2020 season in which Vettel finished 13th, his contract was not renewed, and he replaced at . Coming off the lowest points tally of his F1 career, he recorded two 12th-placed finishes with Lawrence Stroll's outfit before retiring.

Despite being fierce rivals on the grid, Vettel and Hamilton have maintained a close relationship and are aligned over a number of issues concerning F1 and the wider world, as the retired driver now has more time to devote to his activism.

Hamilton even endorsed Vettel to replace him at , when he was linked with a return to F1, saying: "But I would love for Seb to come back. I think he would be an amazing option for the team, to have a multi-world championship-winning driver, someone who's got amazing values to continue to take this team forwards... I would love it if he came back."

And Vettel has now returned the compliment, hoping that the Brit breaks Ferrari's streak of seasons without a title, which now stretches 18 years after Kimi Raikkonen's 2007 win.