Sebastian Vettel has apparently decided to break the codes and raise awareness this weekend, on the occasion of the Miami Grand Prix of F1. Between ecological activism and principled fight against the FIA and the race management, the German no longer seems to know what priority to give to his fights.
In recent months, and even in recent years, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel have been the spearheads of the social and ecological struggle in F1, and they have again set themselves up as spokespersons for other drivers this Friday in Florida.
Vettel has placed ecology at the center of his concerns, once again, for the first edition of the Miami GP. Dressed Thursday in a t-shirt explaining that Miami would be under water in 2060 if we do not act against climate change, the quadruple world champion made it his helmet design (see photos below) .
With a design representing water and a snorkel, as well as a slogan saying “act now or swim later”his helmet is a beautiful reference to the danger that awaits coastal countries in the coming decades.
This activism, which echoes his construction of hives last year, or even the collection of waste he carried out at Silverstone, still attracts criticism given his status as an F1 driver.
But Vettel sticks to his line of conduct for the last part of his career, and wants to take advantage of his notoriety to warn of the dangers that await our planet. This is also in line with his personal actions for the planet, such as his desire to drive an electric car or try his hand at vegetarianism.
The underwear of discord
But like Hamilton, Vettel also embarked on a crusade this weekend against the FIA and its new director, Niels Wittich. The latter has decided to tighten the screw about certain points that he considers dangerous for the pilots.
The first concerns the removal of jewelry and piercings, a practice found in all sports, and at all levels. But Hamilton decided to provoke the FIA by bringing as much jewelry as possible to the Friday morning conference. He finally, via Mercedes F1, confirmed his adherence to the rules.
“I think it’s kind of pointless to blow this up. Probably at this point it’s more of a personal thing and I think, in a way it’s particularly targeted at Lewis.”
Not concerned with piercings, Vettel has meanwhile tackled the debate parallel to that of jewelry, which concerns the underwear of pilots. They must now only use FIA-approved flame retardant underwear.
Wittich and the FIA even detailed the reasons for which these specific points of the regulations have become technical verifications in their own right at the start of the weekend. But the details were not enough for Vettel, who judged in conference that the pilots were adults and could have to make their own choices.
“We also talked about the underwear, but is that really the most exciting thing we can talk about? In a way there is a safety concern and if the car catches fire it would be unpleasant.”
“To some extent it’s personal freedom and we’re old enough to make choices outside the car. We should also be old enough to make choices inside the car as well.”
Afterwards, he was seen in the paddock in overalls, wearing classic boxers over his Aston Martin outfit. An image that amused all observers but still leaves some questions unanswered about his commitments.
Why defend this incongruous point of settlement?
The obligation to wear approved underwear or to remove their piercings does not seem to be liberticidal for the drivers, who are authorized to do what they want outside of the moments of competition and presence in the car. The purpose being to protect their health, it even seems rather logical.
However, Hamilton and Vettel seem to cling to this fight a bit backward, and without much implication for the drivers or their future in F1. A question then comes to mind about Vettel: did he plead in his favor or play against his side by making the buzz?
Since his joke with the underwear, his other, yet more important struggle of the weekend has been glossed over. His special helmet, heavy with meaning, did much less talking than his boxer. And he also made less noise than his t-shirt from the day before, even though the subject is exactly the same.
If the militant side of the German pilot is always appreciable, in particular thanks to his outspokenness and his tough character, we can regret that he disperses him to this point in futile fights, when he has already proven to be capable of doing so. serve great causes.
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???????? ???????????????? ???????????????????? ????♂️Miami 2060 – 1st Grand Prix Under Water ????#MiamiGP #ActNowOrSwimLater #FridaysForFuture ???????? pic.twitter.com/GWxCt5zcFK
– Jens Munser Designs (@JMD_helmets) May 6, 2022