“The worse you feel”
Vettel worries about the future of his children
02/23/2022, 4:58 p.m
Sebastian Vettel is starting the new Formula 1 season with the first test drives these days. He has clear visions for his industry, especially off the racetrack. The four-time world champion worries about the future. Not Formula 1, but his children.
Against the background of the climate crisis, Formula 1 driver Sebastian Vettel is concerned about the future of his children. “The more you learn and understand about the subject, the worse it is,” admitted the four-time world champion in “1.5 degrees – the climate podcast with Luisa Neubauer”. He is “in a way also afraid” that his children “can’t or won’t be allowed to experience the freedom and carefreeness later” that he had. “It’s not getting better, it’s getting worse. That’s why it’s all the more necessary and urgent that we absolutely have to do something,” emphasized Aston Martin driver Vettel. “I am very worried.”
Vettel knows that his sport generates significant CO2 emissions. “If I draw attention to it, I can reach a lot of people. Above all, I can hold the sport responsible for doing more,” said the 34-year-old. “I can use my position as a driver and my voice to point out certain things.”
Among other things, Vettel is committed to improving the racing calendar with the many trips and getting rid of the high-emission military parades with planes. The approach in Formula 1 is “very sluggish and tough for many political reasons, similar to real life, so to speak,” said Vettel, who finished fourth in the morning in the first tests in Barcelona with the completely overhauled cars. The premiere best time in the morning session was secured by Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari.
“Could do very sensible things”
In December, Vettel had already made the new federal government responsible. “In the next two years it will become clear how much of what was promised to us voters is talk and what will be implemented. I’m very excited,” said the four-time Formula 1 world champion in an interview with the “Frankfurter General Newspaper”. Vettel, who said he voted for the Greens, sees the election result “as a great opportunity to take on the challenge. I think that could help us.”
Vettel is committed to environmental protection, he is the greatest challenge that mankind has faced since the beginning. In Formula 1, the pace for changes in terms of sustainability and environmental protection is “not fast enough”. For example, petrol will remain fossil fuels for the time being. “Initially, there will only be a ten percent share of biofuels or ethanol, which is neither sufficient nor up-to-date. I stand by my criticism. We have all the options, we have the money, the resources, we could do very sensible things with it do it,” Vettel warned.