Sebastian Vettel is an all-time great in F1, winning four World Championships with Red Bull between 2010 and 2013. After spells with Ferrari and Aston Martin, the German driver decided to retire at the end of the 2022 season. He will be a huge miss on track, not just because of his driving but also because he was one of the few drivers to stand up for social causes as Lewis Hamilton recently stated.
Vettel’s Ferrari and Aston Martin stints were not nearly as successful as his time with Red Bull. However, it was during this period that he used F1 as a platform to protest against issues that plague society. He became a huge advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, and also highlighted how important it is to take climate change seriously on a regular basis.
Very few drivers other than Vettel consistently advocated for issues like this but someone who is as vocal as him is Hamilton. The 37-year-old praised his former rival for knowing the importance of doing what he did but called other F1 drivers out for not standing up for something.
Lewis Hamilton admires Sebastian Vettel as a human being
Vettel was already a popular figure during his incredible Championship-winning run. However, he became an even bigger fan favorite when the community saw how good his values were. Hamilton went on to suggest that the former Red Bull ace was one of the few drivers in the sport’s history who stood for something.
He then took a shot at the others on the grid, asking if they stood up for anything other than themselves. The fact that Vettel did, makes him admire the 35-year-old as a human being.
“He’s one of the only drivers that stand for something,” the Mercedes star said. “I mean, really, what other driver here has really truly stood for something other than themselves? And that’s something to be really admired in a human being.”
Vettel is the only driver Hamilton will be friends with after 30 years
Hamilton and Vettel were fierce rivals back in the day. This rivalry peaked when Vettel was at Ferrari and trying his best to break Hamilton and Mercedes’ dominance in the sport. The Heppenheim-born driver came close a few times but was never able to defeat the Brit. Throughout this time, they often clashed on track which led to some very controversial moment.
In spite of these incidents, both Hamilton and Vettel are adamant that there was always a tremendous amount of respect they had for each other. Hamilton even admitted that they will be friends 20/30 years later.
“He’s probably one of the few drivers that, in 20 years time, 30 years, we’ll still be friends,” Hamilton added.
