Four-time F1 champion's Aston Martin F1 car is sponsored by Aramco oil company.
Mario Renzi – Formula 1Getty ImagesSebastian Vettel has raised awareness of local societal and environmental issues at Grands Prix this year in a sequence of T-shirts and helmet designs.
In Canada, it was the mining of tar sands in Alberta, which involves the destruction of forests in order to extract bitumen. That raised the attention of some politicians, including Alberta’s minister of energy Sonya Savage, who on social media immediately pointed to Vettel’s hypocrisy, highlighting Aramco’s title sponsorship of Aston Martin.
I have seen a lot of hypocrisy over the years, but this one takes the cake. A race car driver sponsored by Aston Martin, with financing from Saudi Aramco, complaining about the oilsands. 1/3 #ableg https://t.co/8gaMl7JeFj
— Sonya Savage (@sonyasavage) June 17, 2022
“Yeah, it is right,” said Vettel. “But what you miss… I’m disappointed politicians jump on a personal level, it is not at all about me it is about the bigger picture. Yes, I am hypocrite doing what I do for a living, this is my passion, this is the way I paint my canvas, but there are solutions for the future to make it more sustainable and not rely on fossil fuels.
“It is disappointing we break it down to a personal level and miss the bigger picture – we need to make the switch and start to base our whole lifestyle on renewables. I think that’s the bigger picture stuff that I’m trying to address.”
Vettel, though, removed the design for the race itself and sported his usual scheme.
Sebastian Vettel’s new helmet for the Canadian Grand Prix 🇨🇦
Another quality design from JMD 👏 pic.twitter.com/uRn25JGsH4— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) June 17, 2022
Keyword: Vettel Riles Politician at F1 Canadian Grand Prix for Hypocritical Stance on Fossil Fuels