Michael Schumacher says he is proud of Sebastian Vettel's achievements after securing his second title in a row.
The Red Bull driver became Formula 1's youngest ever double champion after finishing in third place at the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday. Mercedes driver Schumacher said he was very happy for his compatriot.
"I would like to congratulate Sebastian and his team who have been exceptional the whole year," said Schumacher, a seven-time champion. "It is extremely emotional to see him win the championship again – I am very happy for him and even a little bit proud."
Team boss Ross Brawn added: "Congratulations to Sebastian and Red Bull Racing on his second world championship - he has driven impeccably all year, and together they have set the standards we must now aim for and exceed."
Schumacher finished the Suzuka race in sixth position, and admitted he was pleased with the result, as he felt it was the maximum he could have achieved.
"I'm very happy with what we achieved in Suzuka today as we maximized our potential of the car, and managed to put in a good race," said Schumacher. "The team did a great job the whole weekend in finding performance and transforming it into the race. I think there was not more to expect and achieve. The pit stops were perfectly timed and everything worked out according to plan.
Teammate Nico Rosberg was also happy with his race after finishing in 10th, having started from the back because of his problems during qualifying.
"I'm pleased to score a point today and had fun out there with a few nice overtaking maneuvers," he said. "This is definitely one of the toughest tracks for overtaking so starting from the back of the grid meant that I had a pretty tough job.
"Before the race, I hoped to achieve between eighth and 10th places and, whilst it would have been nice to be a bit higher, it's still a decent result."