Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel feels F1 should do more than just vaguely address important social movements and causes.
Sebastian Vettel has recently made a reputation for himself as a vocal activist for many issues outside the F1 world. Whether it is trying to play his part in reducing waste by staying back to clean the stands at racetracks, bee farming, speaking up against racial injustice, or anything he believes in.
Vettel is wearing his heart on his sleeve. Also read: Lewis Hamilton speaks on Sebastian Vettel publicly expressing views on current social issues.
He has also spoken publicly about his support for the LGBTQ cause for equality. At the Hungarian GP earlier this year, the Aston Martin driver was reprimanded for not taking off his rainbow-themed ‘Same Love’ T-shirt before the anthem.
He was given non-driving reprimands and Valterri Bottas and Carlos Sainz, who did not remove their ‘We race as one’ T-shirts.
Sebastian Vettel as a pro-LGBTQ driver in the Middle East
The Four-time World Champion spoke to The Race and further elaborated on what he thinks of the LGBTQ discussion, which needs to be addressed in F1.
Formula 1 races in several countries in the Middle East. Most of these countries have strict laws regarding the LGBTQ community. Vettel shared his thoughts on the situation.
“There are certain topics too big to neglect. We all agree – and it doesn’t matter where you come from – that it’s only fair to treat people equally.”
“Countries have different rules in place, different governments, different backgrounds. I can’t speak for all the countries and be an expert because I don’t know. There are certain countries I think are no-go.”
He added: “We go to some of those places and roll out a red carpet with nice messages on it. I think it takes more than just words, I think it takes actions.”
When asked if he thought that F1 is doing enough to raise awareness about social causes, he said that he didn’t have enough of an idea on how to go about things.
“I don’t know what is the best way of communicating and not just relying on a flag which lies on the track for a couple of minutes, what the best action is.”
Also read: Sebastian Vettel supports extinction rebellion at Dutch GP which speaks against the purpose of F1.
He concluded by expressing some optimism in the desired effect F1 can have on conversations that need to be present worldwide. “But certainly, I feel our sport could apply a lot of pressure and could be of immense help to spread that fairness around the globe even more.”
