Lewis Hamilton has named Sebastian Vettel as ‘the only driver’ willing to speak out and fight for important issues, sending a clear message to his F1 rivals. The legendary German racer was back in the paddock for the first time this season at the Brazilian Grand Prix on Thursday.
Since retiring from his iconic F1 career in 2022, Vettel has dedicated his spare time to addressing numerous social and environmental issues. These have even been promoted at Grand Prix weekends, such as his biodiversity drive at Suzuka, or his women-only karting event in Saudi Arabia.
Vettel’s most recent trip to the paddock came with another social justice quest. The four-time world champion participated in a recycling initiative during his visit to Sao Paulo and unveiled a new campaign called ‘Forest – Drawn Together’.
The initiative encouraged fans and drivers to draw trees with a personal touch, which were then collated into a collage in the fan zone. Several drivers, including Mercedes duo George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, took part in the project. This received support from a close friend and former rival, Hamilton, who gave glowing praise of the 38-year-old.
“I’m always supporting Seb,” he told the media. “He’s the only driver that I’m aware of, other than myself, that ever actually talks about important topics and fights for… He’s aware of the bigger picture.
“And look, we’re in Brazil, where the heart of the earth is here, with the Amazon, or the lungs of the earth, and it is devastating to read how much is being destroyed day by day. Of course, there is a big summit, obviously, next week.
“But climate change continues to be a real topic and something that we all need to be aware of and focus on – not for us older people but more so for the younger generation. It is for us to make the change. It’s not their fault that we’ve made a mess.”
In a separate interview in Interlagos, Hamilton revealed that he remains in regular and close contact with Vettel, and that the German racing legend supports him throughout race weekends, texting his former title rival while he is away from the track.
“For me, I think out of all the drivers that I’ve come across in my career, he, for me, is the most all-round driver,” Hamilton stated. “When I talk about an all-round driver, I mean as a human being. Someone that has empathy. Someone that understands, that’s super, super competitive. But [can] put that aside.
“He understands people, he understands that there’s a much bigger picture than just us. And there’s no ‘me, me, me’ with him. It’s about bringing people together. And I love that he’s utilising his platform.
“He stood by me through quite an intense time. He’s doing great things today. We stay in touch. He supports me through my weekends. He sends me texts. I’m forever grateful for the relationship.”
