Verstappen reveals secret Vettel support meeting

Verstappen Vettel meeting

Speaking ahead of the Abu Dhabi weekend, Verstappen praised Vettel's "caring" nature as a person before relaying the Silverstone anecdote.

"I think as a person, he's always been very caring and of course I have had my heated battles with him [on-track], especially in the beginning of my career," Verstappen told media including TheFOXposts.Com.

"But for me, one thing I will always remember for the rest of my life was last year at Silverstone, I got back from the hospital and went to my motorhome to get all my stuff and he was there waiting for me when I got out of the car.

"He said: 'Okay Max, how are you doing, are you okay?' and that just shows how he is.

"He is a super nice, caring person who is not only there for performance but he also means well.

"I think it's also really nice to be remembered like that."

Verstappen pays tribute

Verstappen and Vettel are the only two drivers to have won the World Championship for Red Bull, and between them account for 72 of the team's 91 race wins.

The Dutchman praised the German for his efforts with the team, whom Vettel left in 2014.

"He has meant a lot to Red Bull," he explained.

"He came through as a junior and basically achieved all of it in the sport and he still has a lot of friends within Red Bull.

"He has had a career which a lot of people could only dream of.

"We'll also do a helmet swap this weekend, it's definitely a very nice helmet to have in the collection.

"He will definitely be missed. But on the other hand, I also really wish him well for the future, whatever he wants to do, and to be honest, but I think what is most important is to spend time with family.

"You know, he's a real family man. That's great to see and he is a great example."