Vettel advocates for a more ecological and responsible F1

In 2014, when Formula 1 introduced the brand new hybrid engines, Sebastian Vettel had clearly shown his discontent by declaring that the cars of the time emitted, literally, a shitty noise, adding that he felt like he was driving a vacuum cleaner. Formula 1 has lost all its magic without its noise, he concluded. In other words, the German bitterly regretted the disappearance of atmospheric engines that emitted twice as much sound as their hybrid counterparts.

Seven years later, the situation seems to have changed significantly for the current Aston Martin driver. He now believes that the current roadmap of F1, towards greener engines and more sustainable fuels, is not as aggressive as it should be. Vettel thinks that the future of the premier category of motorsport is in danger if it does not evolve as quickly as the world in general. “I think we live in a time when we have the innovations and the possibility to make F1 greener without losing the spectacle, the speed, the challenge or the passion that this sport gives us,” he said to Autosport. “I find that the current regulations are very exciting, the engines are super efficient but they are useless. These won’t be the types of engines you would buy for your new road car, for example. So we can wonder if they are really relevant. Some people talk about the future of the sport in terms of regulations and it would indeed be time to move to more relevant changes. It’s a vital thing for F1, otherwise it will disappear and probably rightfully so. We have reached a point where we know we have made mistakes and we no longer have the time to continue making such mistakes.”

Formula 1 is currently in discussions to define the new engine regulations for 2025/2026. One of the objectives would be to switch to entirely sustainable fuels, as Vettel mentioned. Sport leaders hope that F1 will operate with a fuel created in the lab from bio-waste, but former Red Bull champion doubts that it is the right direction to take. “I am not a specialist in this field,” Vettel continues, “but I would be more of a fan of a synthetic fuel rather than a biofuel. With the latter, you need a carbon source and that will create complications. Formula 1 definitely needs to find a way to manufacture its own formula for synthetic fuel in the future.”

Very committed to the environmental cause, Sebastian Vettel may be leading the greatest fight of his career since the one that led him to four world titles.