Vettel wants to 'give women a voice' in motorsport

Sebastian Vettel, formidable on the track and in the paddock in his younger years, the driver with four crowns has calmed down over time. “When I started as a rookie, I was only focused on racing, it was really the only thing that occupied my days,” explained the former enfant terrible Red Bull in the podcast BBC Sportsworld on March 21. After having suffered the reverse of the medal during his time at Ferrari Between 2015 and 2020, the man nicknamed “Baby Schumi” embarked on another battle. 

On the sidelines of his arrival at Aston Martin, the German had a real awareness of the influence that his status could give him to change things even "it wasn't planned" initially to defend different causes. “But over the last few years, I think that’s probably one of the only things I regret: not speaking out earlier in my career and not seeing the potential power in terms of reach and audience that a professional athlete can have to inspire people, he lamented. Since then, I have tried to convey messages that are close to my heart."

Vettel is determined to see more women on the track

On the sidelines of the arrival of the Formula 1 In Saudi Arabia during 2021, the former Red Bull driver organized an event karting Exclusively reserved for women... In a country where their rights are subject to numerous restrictions and always subject to the approval of a male figure. Until 2018, women were unable to obtain a driver's license. “I went there in 2021 to launch the Race for Women event, which was mainly about taking young girls and women out onto the track, introducing them to kart racing, and it was a fun day, Vettel recalled. It's a story we're trying to keep telling."

The four-time World Champion said he was determined to see more women enter motorsport. “When I was karting in Europe, I raced against girls, but it was very rare.”, he recalled. Since those early days, things have continued to move in the right direction with actions to encourage and promote female drivers. For the German, there is nothing better than practicing:  "The more girls who participate and the fewer stereotypes that girls can't run, the better." 

Supporting a “positive evolution”

Vettel wants to change mentalities, particularly in Middle Eastern countries where customs remain deeply rooted around the status of women... “It is always difficult to measure the impact that we can have with this kind of initiative, he confessed. But we certainly had an impact on all these girls, giving them courage for the future, in a country that is evolving and changing. Things are improving. So the goal is to come back and continue after having sown the first seeds, to give these girls and women a voice."

The former F1 driver, who is also involved in numerous environmental advocacy initiatives, is not fooled. Morals don't change overnight. "It's important in Europe, but even more so in a country like Saudi Arabia, where you can feel that things are opening up, maybe not as quickly as we would like or as some people hope, but there is progress, he noted. It's great to see these girls get a chance to get behind the wheel." Significant support for greater inclusivity that aims to continue "sow seeds."

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