Vettel elevating athlete activism
Four-time world champion’s appearance on Question Time revealed a figure of substance – not designer hashtags
It is too glib, too uncharitable, to dismiss Sebastian Vettel as a hypocrite for expressing his ecological awareness on Question Time. Yes, he drives a car that burns through fuel at a rate of 220lb an hour, and yes, his journeys to 23 races a year necessitate an air travel regime that would challenge Michael Palin. But before accusing him of sanctimony for airing his environmental concerns on national TV, it is worth considering how he had used the hours prior to his appearance at the BBC’S Hackney studio.
The four-time world champion had spent his morning not at a fivestar hotel but at Her Majesty’s Prison Feltham, opening a car repair workshop for young offenders and telling them that “prejudice” should not deter them from contemplating careers in Formula One after their release. He later went into central London not by chauffeur-driven car, but on South West Trains. It was all as a prelude to joining the panel on a notoriously unpredictable current affairs show, fielding questions on everything from “Partygate” to the Northern Ireland Protocol, all in his second language.
These are the standards to which many would like to hold their MPS, never mind an F1 driver.
Vettel’s day of public service was not a radical departure. On the contrary, it offered a glimpse into what his life has become. In the past year, he has organised a litter-picking expedition at Silverstone, created a habitat for bees near Austria’s Red
Bull Ring, and given women in Saudi Arabia a chance to try karting.
In the political realm, he also speaks with bracing candour. When Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban announced a referendum on limiting the discussion of homosexuality in schools, Vettel wore a rainbow-coloured T-shirt on the grid with the words: “Same love”. Asked if he was concerned about being fined by stewards, he shot back: “I don’t care, I would do it again.”
The moment Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in February, Vettel declared that he would play no part in the country’s grand prix in Sochi.
While drivers might sporadically criticise race hosts, few go so far as vowing to withdraw their labour. But Vettel’s resistance to the notion of visiting Russia was immediate and implacable. “I should not go, I will not go,” he said. “It is a very strange, very mad leadership.”
Cynicism is so hardwired into the judgment of celebrities that it is tempting to suggest that Vettel is seeking validation through retweets or Instagram likes. Except this theory is scotched by the fact that the German is not on social media at all. Indeed, he has always given the impression of a man who would rather be out in the fresh air than distracted by some spirit-crushing row on his smartphone.
The only one of F1’s 20 drivers to scorn social networks, Vettel said once: “It depends on what you want to achieve – if you want to show off the socks you wear or if you want something more. I’m interested in taking action.” Everywhere from the Saudi desert to the Alps of Styria, he is proving to be as good as his word. And yet for all that his public statements multiply, his insistence on privacy remains, his personal life is such a closed book that, until recently, few outside his inner circle knew for certain whether he and his long-time partner Hanna were married or that they had three children.
He did not always have such an overt social conscience. Early in his career, he was known simply for his remorseless winning streak at Red Bull, or for his mischievous efforts to play up the tensions between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. But his campaigning of late does not signify some Damascene conversion. He has long shown a heightened sensitivity to the world beyond F1, and a commitment to cutting his carbon footprint where he could. Even at the height of his fame with Ferrari, he would arrive at Silverstone by bike.
His forays into a Feltham prison and the Question Time bearpit confirm that he is elevating athlete activism to another level. It does Vettel a disservice to disregard him as a mere influencer, when his recent record, whether in helping Middle Eastern women or in handing out bee-friendly flower seeds to journalists or in clearing up the detritus left by the British Grand Prix, illustrates that he is a figure of substance, not designer hashtags. Whether you agree with all his views or not, he is exhibiting integrity and conviction. And these, surely, are qualities to be lauded, not belittled.