Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel has been told that he should quit Formula One after admitting he has been a “hypocrite” by continuing to race while questioning the sport’s impact on climate change.
Vettel said during an appearance on BBC One’s Question Time that he has considered retiring from Formula One after campaigning for action to protect the environment. “It is something I ask myself [whether I should be racing in F1] and travelling the world,” Vettel said.
“It is my passion to drive a car and I love it, and every time I step in a car I love it, but when I get out of the car I am thinking: ‘Is this something we should do, travelling the world and wasting resources?’”
Vettel, 34, is out of contract at Aston Martin at the end of the season and Walter Rohrl, the two-time World Rally champion, has said the German should step down from the sport if he is so concerned about its environmental impact.
“If after 15 years in motorsport I come to my senses and now think I’m an environmental sinner, then I have to stop – that’s enough!” Rohrl told Bild. “He can’t whine that he wants to do something for the environment and fly around the world in Formula 1 at the same time. You have to consistently live your life according to that.”
During his appearance on Question Time, Vettel also admitted that he is not a “saint” but added: “There are things I do because I feel I can do them better. Do I need to take a plane every time [to a race]? No, not when I can take a car. There are certain things in my control and certain things I cannot control.”
F1 bosses have promised that the sport will be sustainably fuelled by 2026 and net-zero carbon by the start of the next decade.
