’Mixed feelings’ about Kubica return - Vettel

Sebastian Vettel says he has "mixed feelings" about Robert Kubica’s return to formula one.

Former grand prix winner Kubica, now 34, is returning to the grid next year after an eight year absence, after nearly severing his hand in a 2011 rallying crash.

"I have mixed feelings," 31-year-old quadruple world champion Vettel told Blick newspaper.

"On the one hand, it pleases me personally. No one can even imagine how hard it was for him and what he went through.

"On the other hand, there are also young drivers who deserve a chance," the Ferrari driver added.

Vettel also revealed that he has never visited his former mentor and friend Michael Schumacher since the F1 legend’s skiing fall and brain injuries of 2013.

He said he misses the sort of advice his German countryman could be giving him at Ferrari.

"Michael spent many years at Maranello and his spirit still hovers over the team," said Vettel.

"We would be speaking the language of the driver and not the engineer, and that’s why talking to him would be extremely helpful," he added. "I always had a great relationship with Michael anyway.

"Yes, I miss him."