2023-08-17 15:03:25
Ex-Formula 1 driver
CO2 footprint has Sebastian Vettel “knocked out of his socks”
Last year, the German turned his back on Formula 1. Now the 36-year-old gives an insight into how he changed his behavior massively.
Published17. Aug 2023, 5:03 p.m
In 2022 Vettel ended his active career.
20min/Melchior Cold
Sebastian Vettel spoke regarding his last year in Formula 1.
The German has massively reduced its CO2 footprint in recent years.
The 36-year-old only traveled to the races by car or train.
When Sebastian Vettel started measuring his carbon footprint a few years ago, the former Formula 1 driver was in for a nasty surprise. In an interview with the “Red Bulletin”, the 36-year-old German revealed the results he came up with at the time – and what they triggered in him. He wrote down car kilometers, every flight, every overnight stay. “Seeing that number compared to that of the average Joe blew my socks off!” he said.
When asked, he explained: “I started with 400 tons – only in connection with F1. In the end I was down to 60 tons.” According to the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection, the carbon dioxide footprint per capita in Germany was 10.5 tons at the beginning of this year.
Only by car or train
Vettel emphasized that he took measures at the time to reduce the value of 400 tons. He is known to have traveled to races by car and train in the final years of his career.
“Most of the reduction was the omission of flights,” he said in an interview. “I don’t want to dictate anything to anyone or portray myself as an angel, but that’s how I started with myself. This step didn’t feel like giving up anything, but completely logical – like all the other smaller ones that I had taken in parallel. I felt very satisfied.” He also enjoyed seeing things that he would have missed on the plane: “I noticed that the supposed loss of time is not actually a loss.”
More family time
Vettel has been known for years for supporting issues such as human rights, equality, sustainability and environmental protection. As a longtime Formula 1 driver, who won the World Championship four times, among other things, he was always accompanied by criticism. He ended his career following the 2022 season, mainly because he wants to have more time with his family. Vettel has three children with his wife and lives on a former farm in Switzerland.
When asked if he wanted to make the world a better place, Vettel replied: “In general, I’m looking ahead. This comes from my time in sport: How can we improve? I’m way too small to go and save the world, and the world is way too big for that. But I find tasks that inspire me.”
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