Vettel yesterday paid tribute to the seven-time World Champion, 48, who fell into a coma following a tragic ski accident in 2013.
He said the racing legend passed on crucial advice in the early stages of his career, and Schumacher still remains his role model.
The pair raced together on five occasions, representing Germany in the Race of Champions between 2007 and 2011.
Vettel, 30, told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera: “Michael Schumacher was my idol when I was a child, and he still is today.
“He will always be the number one. I remember when I met him for the first time, I could not open my mouth, I was so tense.
“Over time I got to know the person who is not just a race driver, he’s been working hard to bring Ferrari to the top. Incredible.”
Vettel, who was once dubbed the ‘New Schumacher’ by the media, left Red Bull to join Schumacher’s former team Ferrari in 2015.
He was also chosen to collected a German Millennium-Bambi award for Schumacher’s life achievements on the star’s behalf.
In a moving interview, Vettel added: “He is one of the few people you meet in life, who have an answer for everything.
“I miss his advice because it was perfect and could be adapted to any situation, and it would work.”
Schumacher fell and hit a rock while skiing with his son Mick, 18, in the French Alps in December 2013.
Despite wearing a helmet, the Formula 1 hero suffered blood clots on the brain and was placed a medically induced coma.
Doctors described his condition as “extremely serious” and said he would almost certainly have died if he was not wearing head protection.
He is reported to be receiving around-the-clock care from a medical team at his house in Geneva, Switzerland.
The Schumacher family have given few updates about the star’s condition since the shocking accident.
In December, his manager and lawyer Sabine Kehm said: “Michael’s health is not a public issue, and so we will continue to make no comment in that regard.
“We have to protect his intimate sphere. Legally seen and in the longer term, every statement related to his health would diminish the extent of his intimate sphere.”
Additional reporting by Monika Pallenberg