Sebastian Vettel has been duly missed on the F1 grid since he announced his retirement from F1 at the end of the 2022 season. The German wanted to spend more time with his family and work towards his goal of a sustainable and carbon-neutral world.
However, fans weren’t ready to bid farewell to the former Red Bull and Ferrari driver. Many expected the driver would move to Formula E or Extreme E racing for a couple of years.
Formula E chairman Alejandro Agag himself tried convincing Vettel to join the series after he retired from F1. But Vettel declined the offer as he had other jobs on the table.
Sebastian Vettel declined an offer to race in Formula E
Formula E Chairman and Extreme E CEO Alejandro Agag revealed to the British sports radio channel talkSPORT about talks with Sebastian Vettel. The Spaniard offered the German a seat in either category as both series matched his ideals.
“I tried to persuade Vettel to come to Formula E, we even had talks about Extreme E,” revealed Agag. However, the German had already made up his mind by then. Agag added, “He’s busy. I heard he already has a job for the future, so I think he already has plans.”
#F1: Sebastian Vettel has announced his retirement from Formula One at the end of this season. 🥲
watch the full thing on his new instagram: https://t.co/scePSsrMAv pic.twitter.com/1p4fAcipIR
— deni (@fiagirly) July 28, 2022
Despite retiring for good from racing, the 4x champion remains an outspoken voice for environmental awareness in the racing fraternity. Agag claims the former Ferrari driver will be welcome in the series if he ever wishes to make a return.
The Formula E boss said, “Sebastian is very committed to sustainability and the many values we share. We probably weren’t at the right time in the right place. He has some other important goals. But whatever he does, he would be a great asset.”
Vettel was not convinced by Formula E’s environmental claims
Sebastian Vettel declined the offer by Alejandro Agag to extend his racing career. However, it is believed that the German rejected the deal as he was doubtful regarding the environmental concerns of the Formula E cars.
The German had once revealed he was not convinced about FE’s environmental claims. In an interview with the German newspaper Zeit, he said, “I don’t understand the meaning behind it. The battery technology that is being developed has nothing to do with the technology that a normal car could use.
It is reported that the car batteries were charged by diesel-powered generators on site. To which, he added, “It is not good for the environment if the batteries are charged not with renewable energy but with fossil fuels.”
Either has no idea of what he is talking about or is trying to mislead the general public on purpose.
And/or all that green stuff he has been doing lately – collecting trash, riding bicycles etc – is completely greenwashing, not what he truly believes.
— Lucas Di Grassi (@LucasdiGrassi) September 1, 2022
Due to him not being convinced with the series’s direction, the 4x world champion distanced himself from FE. He further told he would never become an ambassador of the sport unless he fully understood it.
The statements made by the former world champion did not sit well with the electric racing community. Many, including former F1 driver and FE champion Luca Di Grassi, called the driver a hypocrite. Di Grassi even criticized the driver for “greenwashing” F1 with his initiatives.
