#quotes25

"I would say, well. It's my own perception, but I think pretty well. The, how do you say, the family peace still exists. [You're not annoying at home?] *laughing* I don't think so. I am still wanted. The kids also said I shouldn't start driving again because it's so nice that I'm there. That's great to hear something like that."

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"When I imagine myself as a little boy, I can remember the key moments when suddenly Michael was standing there, maybe said something, and the question I asked was, 'what do you do to be fit?' And then you think afterwards or later I thought again, I should have asked so many other things. And then he told me that he does this and that and swims and so on, and I thought, 'oh no, I don't like swimming at all!' These are such small things, but yes, it meant the world to me at the time[...] because my hero listened to me in that sense."

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"It's about intuition and what really drives you and what you really want, and yes, I think I might not be able to fully answer that question for a long time, or ever, but that's also what triggers curiosity somewhere. But to feel it and, yes, to develop more intuition, I think, was a big point for me and perhaps still is. And it's exciting to get to know yourself again like that. I don't know why I had this drive, after stopping, not to commit myself to a task or a job or, I don't know, partnership XY, but to be free first, for myself, to then feel myself and see, okay, what do I want at all, where is my journey going, and how do I deal with this, in quotes 'emptiness first,' before I immediately jump into the next project?"

"Agriculture has kept me quite busy in the last year with the training that I am now hopefully successfully completing and passing, and I have learned a lot of new things. Yes, there is always something to do around the house and things that have maybe been left undone in recent years, where I am still, yes, skilled. It's relative, I recently broke my finger, but yes, I do a lot and try a lot, and so the days actually pass quickly. I enjoy that. I enjoy the time as well, and this other life, but of course, I watch and follow what is happening and how the guys are doing, and I am still in contact here and there, so yes, it is a big part of me, and it will remain so."

[So the identity as a racing driver will remain. How is that now, for example, at home? For the children, they are 10, 11, I think, then six or so, five?] "Yes, five." [Do they also ask about moments from your career, or is that not a topic at all?]

"Yes, it's funny. We were watching recently, just now, the race in Bahrain or qualifying, and then when it was finished, my youngest said something like, 'I would like to see where you were driving.' Then I said, 'Okay, I have to look first.' I couldn't find anything quickly in the media library, I had to rummage around, but yes, it is interesting. The girls, I think, have taken it in and perceived it a bit more. He was still too young. Yes, it would sometimes be interesting to know what the children think. Here or there, they notice it when we are out and about and perhaps meet people who remember and you stop for a moment and have a chat. But yes, my own perception and then the perception from the children's point of view is very interesting. I think we are coping well with the situation and of course we are trying to give the children a childhood similar to the one we had, in a normal sense, really."

[I also looked at how you have developed as a personality over the years, starting with your time in Formula 1. If you look back at your early years at Toro Rosso, maybe also a bit of the time at Red Bull, how would you describe yourself then?]

"Well, I think very focused, very goal-oriented. I knew exactly what I wanted. I had a very clear vision of where I wanted to go, and then of course I had this incredible time, the years when it felt like everything went well for me. Then with the move to Ferrari, of course, a big challenge, but also a lifelong dream that I could fulfill. The big success, the very big success that I had firmly set my sights on, the title, did not materialize. Now, of course, you can talk for a long time about why and how and why not, but I believe that in retrospect, the time was much more important, the people I met, the experiences I had, and the lessons as well."

"From, I don't know, a certain insecurity, self-doubt also played a big role, then to the last part of my career where I think I opened up more and also came out of myself more in the sense that I not only talked about racing but also addressed other topics and topics that were important to me, and so I gave room to a new side of myself and could develop. And yes, of course, I had a great privilege associated with it, that I was in a position where people might have listened to me or perceived me in that sense, and I actually had very, very many positive experiences with that. Of course, there were also people who said, 'That doesn't belong to you now, and you shouldn't focus on that, and rather focus on driving because things aren't going well there,' and so on. I think there was also a lot of humility in the sense of, yes, when you have a good run at the beginning and then everything picks up speed and you are in teams where things are always moving forward and faster and in big teams, then in that sense, I don't want to say falling behind, but switching to a team that is in this building phase and getting the momentum back was a nice time. "

"But of course, in terms of results, it was a very tough time, a tough pill to swallow, because suddenly you are, I don't know, not in oblivion, but from my point of view and own feelings, you have slipped to results that no longer matter, that are no longer relevant. Whether I was 8th or 12th or 14th, was for me, insufficient for me. Especially when you have already been at the very top, then that is no real fulfillment. But also dealing with that and getting to know that side of myself, I think I have matured extremely in recent years and knew more and more what I wanted. And then in that sense, that I see and want other things in my life and want to have time, especially for the children. Time is limited, and then I had the courage, I think, to say, okay, I know I can do more and I know maybe more is yet to come, but yes, I want to have time for other things and get to know other sides of myself."

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"And I think our society has changed, that yes, young people or generally, that you now address certain topics and don't stop before certain topics anymore. And that you have to take a position in a certain way. Perhaps a piece of the freedom to withdraw has been lost, but I think that has a very positive overall effect. When you address topics in sport that are perhaps more political or play a role outside of sport, I think it has a lot of impact. So if the values are the right ones that you represent and it is good topics that you address, of course, it's not for me to judge what is good and bad and right and wrong, but I think if you stand up for others and draw attention to things, then that is a good thing."

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"I remember my first drivers' briefing as a Formula 1 driver. I was somewhat shocked that no one was talking to each other, but rather talking about each other, sometimes with a bit of arrogance, and this difference in status, "I am here, you are there." Yet in sport, in Formula 1 or in life generally, our passion connects us, and then to seek points of attack instead of the things that perhaps distinguish us, I find much more sympathetic, because even if we weren't the best friends in that room of 20 back then and still are today as drivers, even if we weren't the best friends, there was still this great connection and the passion that we all shared or cared about, right?"

[Or I mean, towards the end of your career, you brought the drivers together, but this is now commonplace, right?]

"Because I simply thought or felt that this community was missing, and also to help establish the GPDA, and I went to Alex, to Alex Wurz, who is still involved, and said, 'Alex, we somehow have to manage to bring the drivers together.' Of course, safety is a topic that connects us all, but also generally, let's talk about the other topics when we feel that something is wrong, or that we simply get into an exchange. I think the space is good that you can, apart from statements you have heard about others, find this space to also go out for dinner in the evening and exchange ideas and get to know each other better. You spend so much time together, it feels like, and at the same time, everyone is so absorbed in their team with meetings and, I don't know, meet and greets and appearances here and there, that you actually don't have any time together, and that is really a shame."

[With Multi 21, for example, with Mark Webber back then, such an action, how do you see that now, from your past, do you say that was totally okay, or do you think it was difficult?]

"Especially, I think, that our relationship was strained until then. Or very, yes, we were very big competitors, so Mark. Of course, then also within the team, but I think that ultimately, clearly, it wasn't a nice event, but I think it led to us understanding each other much better today and having much more respect for each other. So, we talked afterwards, I told him what I didn't like about it and why I felt it was unjustified. He expressed his opinion, and yes, even if you don't completely agree with and adopt the other person's opinion, that's not what it's about. It's about talking to each other in the first step, and we were much better at that afterwards."

[Sebastian, when you look at the situation right now at Red Bull, it's funny that your name came up today because I was talking to Ralf about what you yourself once mentioned as a potential successor. Is that a role you could fundamentally imagine?]

"I think there is only one Helmut, and his role, clearly, is his. But yes, I think that generally, the exchange is also very inspiring, and of course, you have the experiences you have, and Helmut is similar in a way. He also grew up in motorsport, a completely different time, but the wheel still turns the same way in a way, and the similar and same things matter today as they did, I don't know, how many years ago, even if Formula 1 has changed significantly."

"Yes, I think there are many things and perspectives or parallels or things that one could pass on. Whether that will be something in the future, we'll see. I am still in contact with him, I also asked him a few years ago how much longer he wanted to do it, and he said not much longer, and he is still here. *laughs* So as long as he still enjoys it and feels up to the job, I think, yes, he is in a unique role, especially with the experience and the team dynamics. He knows that best, and from the outside, it is always difficult to judge, and perhaps you sometimes wonder here or there how this happened or what's the point, but of course, he has a completely different perspective and completely different experiences. And yes, it will be a shame when he leaves or steps down from the position at some point, but of course, then, yes, it has to develop in a new, different direction."

[I visited him recently in Graz, he had just come from the forest, it was 11 in the morning, he said he had already been there for 3 hours, and then he said he talks about it often with you too because you are also a forester and you have different approaches, right?]

"Yes, completely different views, but we both have respect for each other. He is more of the old school. I am more of the modern perspective, that you sometimes leave the tree lying there, and thereby cultivate or promote the beneficial insects, or in his view, pests, and thus ensure balance. But yes, neither of our views is just right and just wrong."

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[I also said recently, after three races we say someone is great, and then they make a mistake again, and then they go down again. So this patience also to have with development, for example, with Lewis Hamilton. I think you wrote to him after the sprint victory in China, didn't you?]

"Yes, of course."

[Yes, he was probably happy because you texted him. How do you see that? I mean, you also made this move from Red Bull to Ferrari. What is this big adjustment that you need as a driver, and why does it take so long, maybe half a year, as Ralf, for example, said?]

"Well, maybe it takes even longer, depending. I think so many things depend on it. I think the car was less of a change for me back then. Everything was different. The car drove completely differently. But yes, I was able to get used to it quite quickly in that sense. But of course, it's other people, a different environment, a different language, a different culture. So I think the whole thing overwhelms you, and everyone is different. One person might need longer, another less long with one situation or another. I don't think there's any doubt that he can drive. There's no doubt that he can do all the things that are now demanded of him. But it's also completely normal to need a little time. And I think nothing is lost there either, in that sense. If the development suddenly takes the right path, then I think Ferrari is in a completely different position again. They were very strong last year, narrowly missed the Constructors' Championship, so you shouldn't write off the whole team and the two drivers now."

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[If you could choose a role again in Formula 1, I know that you were, for example, in Monaco, we saw each other very briefly there, you came out of the Red Bull hospitality, you had an appointment with Stefano Domenicali. When people see you now, also with your experience regarding social projects, everyone would ask, why isn't Sebastian integrated into Formula 1 anymore with his past? What's the answer to that?]

"I have many, but would you like to do that? I am in contact with Stefano, we are talking about it and perhaps still refining and tinkering with what it would look like exactly. Yes, but I also don't want to push myself in any way. I think ultimately it has to fit for both sides. I don't know. I mean, I follow the sport with great interest, and now also with enough distance that I don't feel like it's a problem anymore. The first few races were perhaps a bit more difficult, but now after a relatively long time, it is no longer a problem."

"Yes, I don't know what it could be in the future. Of course, it would be nice to see that the goals that Formula 1 sets for itself are realistically approached and achieved regarding the future and regarding responsibility. So whether it's climate neutrality by 2030 or certain projects and aspects to use the impact of Formula 1 to really live, exemplify, and bring about good change. On the other hand, of course, as I said, staying close to the drivers in a certain role, I don't know what kind of role that will be in the future, is certainly something one can imagine, which I can also imagine."

[Simply because you have had so many experiences that you couldn't evaluate during your active time, but now I think with more distance, you see many things.]

"I watch the races, of course, I see the same things as everyone else, which tires, which strategy, and so on. But I think what tactic or what mindset is behind it, what is going on in the driver's head, I think I already have more insight, perhaps not better than everyone else, but more insight. And of course, yes, because it's perhaps still so fresh, I can still draw more from it. 'Does he feel comfortable now, and where is perhaps the problem? Maybe it's not the tire set or the strategy, but perhaps something else.' That's what I find interesting, the person behind it."

[I just wanted to ask you a few quick short questions at the end, including a quiz question about your training. I'm curious if you can answer it. Perhaps first, what are you learning right now that you are not yet good at?]

"Grasses and herbs."

[Okay...alphorn playing?]

"Alphorn playing! I still remember that, I put it aside but haven't completely given up. I heard something again recently and thought, oh yes, I must get it out again."

[What is your greatest gift?]

"Of course, you could talk about racing because I had some success there and so on, but I think, yes, this reading people, it sounds a bit much, but I think I can sense what is going on in people and in certain situations, and then, of course, when it comes to sport and performance or results in that sense."

[Looking back at your Formula 1 time with all the people you met, regardless of who they are, a really good evening, a final evening, perhaps. Who chooses the restaurant?]

"Me!" [Ja?] "Ja!"

[Do you have good taste?]

"I don't know, but I think I have learned over the years that, yes, I really enjoy doing that. Let's put it that way."

[Who is responsible for the music?]

"Also me. If I'm throwing the party, then at least the food and music. Music can either be right and you don't really notice it, it's in the background and it fits. But if it's wrong, it's already too late when you notice it. So, yes."

[What do you like to listen to? What's your favorite?]

"Everything. But when eating, yes, it has to be something calmer and something that fits the time and the setting."

[Yes, who pays?]

"I would also like to, I wouldn't have a problem." *laughs*

[Who leaves first?]

"That depends on how many people are there."

[But who would be the one you'd say, yes, okay, the slightly grumpy one.]

"Christian always left first!"

[Okay, okay, okay. And who locks the door at the end?]

"Adrian."

[Really? Such a party person?]

"Yes, well, there are others there too, but yes, he always had fun anyway."

[So Sebastian, the last question now. Now I'm curious. I hope I'm not putting you on the spot. So you are doing your training now in Switzerland, right? Agriculture? I think you are in the vocational school in Pfäffikon. Did I pronounce that correctly?] "Ja." [Watch out, now I have picked out a question. So, which plant is often referred to as "green gold" because it improves the soil and serves as animal fodder? Is it A) Wheat, B) Clover, C) Corn, or D) Rapeseed?]

"It's clover because it's a legume and the only plant that can store nitrogen in the form of nodule bacteria on the roots. You can even see them with the naked eye, and it's not only good for the soil and the plant, but also good for the animals."

Sebastian Vettel felt guilty. It was the end of 2020 and he had accurately calculated his carbon output from a season of Formula 1. The conclusion: his footprint was equivalent to that of 40 people.

“I came out to about 400 tons per year. An average person emits about 10 tons, and that's already a problem.”

Vettel, 37, sits in his office in a picturesque northern Swiss village in mid-February. What the village is called, Vettel does not want the newspaper to know because of privacy concerns. From behind his desk, the four-time world champion looks out on snow-covered hills and Lake Constance, which flows into the Rhine nearby. Across the way lies his native Germany.

Half an hour earlier, Vettel arrived in his electric Porsche from his farm, where he lives with his wife and three children. After his F1 retirement in late 2022, he rarely gives interviews. But he does agree to a request from NRC to talk about the unusual transformation he has gone through: he was a Formula One driver, and is now committed to climate change.

As a racing driver, are you credible when you speak out about climate?“People can decide that for themselves. Am I a hypocrite? Yes. Are we all hypocrites? Probably. Is it about not being a hypocrite? Then you should have no footprint at all. That's not doable for myself, nor for virtually all 8 billion other people.”

Somewhere on the bottom shelf of a cabinet in Vettel's office is a figurine shaped like the nose of an F1 car, with an engraved plaque on it: Sebastian Vettel, jüngster Weltmeister. Vettel was 23 when he first became F1 champion in 2010, as the youngest driver ever - a record that still stands. He drove, like Max Verstappen now, at Red Bull Racing, and immediately won another three world titles for that team. In 2015 he left for Ferrari, to bid farewell to Formula 1 at the end of 2022 after two years with Aston Martin. Vettel won 53 races, the fourth highest number in F1 history.

Vettel stood out for more than his performance, in the sport dominated by commercial interests where, apart from Lewis Hamilton, virtually no one touches on social issues. In the final years of his F1 career, Vettel increasingly spoke out publicly about injustices, such as discrimination against LGBTQ. But most of all, he talked about the environment and climate.

He also took action. For example, he gave guest lectures on sustainability to schoolchildren and went into the stands after the British Grand Prix to clean up trash left behind. When Formula One first raced in Miami, he wore a T-shirt warning that that city would be under water in a while. He also offered the shirt for sale in his Web shop; proceeds went to environmental organization Sea Shepherd. Vettel, who earned tens of millions of euros a year in his heyday, also invested in the Swiss company Climeworks, which puts up factories that remove CO2 from the air.

At the beginning of his career, Vettel knew somewhere that there was a problem. Sometimes things struck him, like when he saw firsthand the deforestation in that country around an F1 race in Malaysia. But he didn't think more deeply about it yet: he was young, the future seemed endlessly distant and racing swallowed up all his attention. The birth of his oldest daughter, in 2014, sparked a turnaround.

“Then suddenly you hold the future in your arms. You think: I have to protect this baby. That's when I started to worry. So I started looking into it and looking for a solution. I was in Formula 1, numbers and data everywhere. If the car isn't fast enough, you fix that.”

But addressing climate change is different than making an F1 car three tenths of a second faster, he soon realized. “My first emotion then was: dejection, and a kind of climate anxiety.”

Do you still have that?“Less so. I have much more hope now, after talking to experts and reading up on things. There are many solutions to the problem. We have solar panels, wind power and hydropower. Synthetic fuels for in your car. But the problem is that we still don't feel the urgency enough.”

At the time, did you ever consider stopping racing right away?“Yes. But if I continued, I could make my voice heard more clearly. I did think: I should quit today, and go live in the woods and survive with what I can find there. That's just not going to work. We can't go back. We can fly less, take bicycles instead of cars. Great, I'm all for it. But for the big picture, a lot more is needed.”

Because of that big footprint, would it have been better if you had never become a racing driver? Or do you feel that being able to campaign publicly now outweighs that?“I don't know. If I hadn't raced, someone else would have been in my seat. I want to be modest, but I think I did reach people with my actions and projects. Although there are also plenty who say: it's a hoax. You're a hypocrite, get back in the car and shut up. Fine. Maybe they are afraid of the same things I am, but just express it differently.”

When it dawned on him that he himself was also part of the climate problem, Vettel started “slightly obsessively” keeping track of everything. “Which flights did I take? What rides did I take to the airport, from the hotel to the track? In what kind of car? From what year of manufacture?”

That's how he ended up with 400 tons. “Then you think: you really are a problem for the planet. Then I changed course. I looked at what was worst on my list. I was still flying in private jets then. Was that really necessary? Or could I just get on a scheduled flight with 150 others? Yes, so I stopped private flights altogether. And when I could, I went to races by car. Belgium, Spain. Sometimes also by train. To Italy, for example, when I drove for Ferrari. I said: I take the train, to which they responded: you are a Ferrari driver. Ferrari drivers don't come by train. But I can be stubborn. Long story short: that's how I got my footprint down to 60 tons."

“But of course I was in a privileged position. I made a lot of money, could stop whenever I wanted. Had all the choices. It doesn't work if you start pointing your finger at people who toil very hard to make ends meet and saying, how dare you fly to Thailand? I don't believe in that culture of blaming each other. It's also never going to work to explain to people that they have to give things up.”

Do we have to give things up?“We will have to change. That's what's different. We have to become aware of the problem and understand it. I gave up fast and comfortable travel because I was aware that we have a problem. That's why awareness is so important. But that doesn't mean we should dictate people's choices.”

Does it worry you that that awareness is difficult as more and more people vote for political parties that deny the problem?“Yes. We've made so much progress, and it feels like it's stalled now. That's a danger, and I don't know the answer to it either. All those screamers who shout: follow me, I have the solution, don't let any more foreigners in. Ultimately, I think that comes from insecurity. Yes, we want strong leaders in politics, but we also want leaders who are vulnerable and admit that mistakes have been made."

“I think the younger generation is much more open to that. To give an example, when I raced, we competed super hard on the track. Outside the car you didn't talk to the other person, because that was your enemy. Now they race just as hard against each other, but they go party together the next night.”

"We've made so much progress, and it feels like it's stalled now. That's a danger, and I don't know the answer to it either.”

Now that Vettel no longer drives in Formula One, his life looks a lot quieter. Very occasionally he still shows up in the paddock at a Grand Prix, always to draw attention to a problem he considers important. In 2023, for example, he appeared at the race in Japan because he had eleven insect hotels erected next to the circuit, which he had helped build himself. At the Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia in April, he will host a race for women event.

But otherwise, Vettel is mostly occupied with his family and has far fewer commitments than during his career, when almost every day was filled with racing, training and promotional activities. He no longer races, does not come to his office nearly every day and does not do any other regular work.

After you announced your farewell, you said you were a little afraid of life after Formula One. Is it as scary as you thought it would be?*Laughs* “Well, I don't wake up screaming. But I made a conscious decision not to have anything in my schedule at all, and that is a challenge. The lack of structure. For as long as I can remember, I was always racing. You're still working on things after the season until Christmas, then you have a few weeks of vacation and from January everything starts again. Every year is the same. And besides that, I was used to getting confirmation every two weeks on how I was doing. You drive your lap time, and you know right away how good you are. But of course my wife doesn't give me a printout in the morning saying I was a good husband yesterday."

“I miss racing, but that's more about the competition, the challenge, than the pure driving. I think I've always been a little different, in the sense that I didn't identify as a driver as much as others. When people asked me what I did, I never just said: I drive Formula 1. Maybe I was a bit insecure, I didn't want to brag.”

Vettel can regularly be found in the clay these days: he is completing a one-year agricultural course next summer. “Since the pandemic I am very interested in agriculture, also because of the link between agriculture and climate. Not just of: I like vegetables and I want to grow them myself, but really the Formula 1 approach. There you're always looking for the last bit of performance from your car. Of course, I'm not looking for the last bit of performance from a potato, but I do want to know what the difference is between conventional and organic cultivation.”

Are you going to make that your job?“No, I don't see myself doing that full-time. But I enjoy that it's work that literally puts both feet on the ground. You learn patience, because you really do have to wait for the vegetables to grow. When you work with animals, you don't control everything. I think there are important values in such work, which I would like to pass on to my children.”

He occasionally gives demonstrations in old F1 cars, which he fills up with alternative, more sustainable fuel. This is made using green energy from biomass, as well as CO2 taken from the atmosphere. CO2 emissions are 80 percent lower than regular fuel, but the price is still about three times higher. Starting in 2026, Formula 1 will switch to similar sustainable fuels - and, in addition, half of its cars will be electrically powered.

“Formula 1 has a lot of potential,” he says. “With all the money going into it, the sport can really change. The fact that synthetic fuel is coming next year is a very good step.”

Although F1 is the sport pre-eminently labeled “polluting,” the footprint of Vettel's former biotope is smaller than that of, say, the World Cup. Formula One emitted the equivalent of 223,000 tons of CO2 in 2022, according to a sustainability brief released by the sport last year. FIFA estimated emissions from the World Cup in Qatar that same year were 16 times higher. Race car emissions are negligible - less than 1 percent of Formula One's total emissions. The real climate impact is in the logistics of the championship, with 24 races annually on five continents.

“At the end of the day, it's also not about cars driving around in circles,” says Vettel, ”but about all that travel around the world. Team members going to races. Parts being sent back and forth. The dog-thousands of fans coming to Zandvoort, Monza and Melbourne. How do they get around? Where does their trash go? How will such a race be powered? There are still many challenges there.”

Can all that be done in a sustainable way at all?“It will have to. And that applies not only to Formula 1, but also, for example, to all the concerts that take place week in, week out. We have to learn to think more circularly. Formula 1 can be an excellent example in this regard. It's not the first sport you think of when it comes to sustainability. But it is a global sport that can show people that change is possible.”