F1 star Sebastian Vettel considering WRC drives

Red Bull Racing Formula 1 driver Sebastian Vettel has expressed a desire to follow Kimi Raikkonen's lead and tackle a round of the World Rally Championship.

Vettel travelled to Finland this weekend and met up with Citroen Total World Rally Team drivers Sebastien Loeb and Dani Sordo, before heading out to the stages to witness the action of the fastest round of the WRC.

“This is my first time at the World Rally Championship and it’s been fascinating," said the German. "It is high speed and it’s nice to be out at the stages to watch it, although unfortunately I’m not driving!

“It is nearly as quick as F1, but with no run off and on gravel. I was able to get some advice from Sebastien Loeb, and there is no one better. I have plenty to do in F1, but who knows maybe one day I will compete in the WRC - I wouldn’t mind doing some drives in the future.”

Loeb, meanwhile, said he had been impressed by the performance of Ferrari F1 driver Kimi Raikkonen in Finland, even though he failed to finish after rolling his car into a ditch on Saturday.

"I thought he was really good," said Loeb. "He was only one second per kilometre off the pace of Juho Hanninen, and the best drivers in his category, and to do that here in Finland, on his first time, that's not so much - so I'm sure he was confident.

"It's important if you want to do this kind of rally to have good notes, and he stayed on the road until yesterday when something happened, but it can happen to anybody. I was surprised - he was driving really fast," he added.