Sebastian Vettel admits that he has questioned whether he should continue to race in F1 amid his concerns about the environment. The four-time World Champion spoke about the issue during an appearance on British television show Question Time, a political debate programme where guests on the panel discuss topical issues and answer questions from members of the public. Vettel has become known for his activism work in relation to the environment, and was asked by host Fiona Bruce whether taking this stance as a Formula 1 driver makes him a hypocrite, amid some laughter from the audience. "It does, and you're right. You're right when you laugh, because there's questions I ask myself every day," Vettel responded. "I'm not a saint. I'm very concerned when it comes to the future."
Vettel raises concerns over fossil fuel dependency
Vettel went on to discuss his concerns over the dependency on fossil fuels amongst certain countries. "We need to stop being dependent [on fossil fuels], and we can, because there are solutions in place," he explained. "You know, in Britain, you have this sort of goldmine you're sitting on, which is wind, and you have the ability to increase your energy supply with wind power, solar. "Every country has its strengths and weaknesses. If you go to Austria, they have the Alps and they have water, they can pump it up, store it, take it back down." With these issues at the forefront of his mind, Vettel went on to admit that he often asks questions of himself after getting out of his F1 car. "It's something that I'm asking myself. There's certain things that are in my control, and certain things are not," the German added. "It's my passion to drive a car. Every time I step in the car, I love it. When I get out of the car, of course I'm thinking as well: 'Is this something we should do, travel the world, wasting resources?'"
How F1 played a role during pandemic
Vettel also acknowledged that the fact that Formula 1 was still able to stage races during the coronavirus pandemic shows that it played a role in keeping people entertained. "On the other hand, you know, we were entertaining people during Covid," he said. "We were one of the first ones to start again, when everybody's heads were about to explode. "I'm not saying Formula 1 has this huge position in the world to deliver entertainment. There's plenty of people – if you talk about entertainment, sports, culture, comedy – a lot of people who couldn't perform, and a lot of people missed that. "And I think if we didn't have that, in general, we'd probably go mad." As he continues to work towards addressing environmental issues, Vettel explained that he tries to make changes where he can. "There's things that I do because I feel I can do them better. Do I take the plane every time? No, not when I can take the car," the Aston Martin driver commented. "But there's certain things in my control, and certain things outside."
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