A few years ago, an article appeared that recommended a trip to southern Florida in the headline. “The magic of a Miami vacation: The colorful change between the worlds,” it said. The visit for Sebastian Vettel should have felt similarly, no one in Formula 1 changes so cheerfully between the worlds and the roles as he does. On this long weekend in Miami he has now taken the variations to the extreme. It started for Vettel with a political protest, continued with a gesture of solidarity, then he experienced punishment – and finally a remarkable crash with Mick Schumacher. A young driver for whom Vettel feels responsible as a mentor, if only because he was once introduced to Formula 1 by his father Michael.
It started with Vettel donning a T-shirt to greet the American crowd. “Miami 2060 – 1st Grand Prix under water” read on it. “Act now or swim later.” There was also an illustration of a snorkeling mask below sea level. When asked, Vettel explained that he did not understand that the issue of rising sea levels was hardly ever present in the city of Miami, which was severely threatened. And he warned: Even if no more CO2 were emitted overnight, the effect would only become noticeable years later. “There is this effect that follows suit,” explained Vettel. “It’s important to understand that it’s really serious that a lot of people are going to lose their homes here, and South Florida is going to look very, very different in the future. The Everglades are going to go, Miami Beach is going to go. The people who live in Miami living and working are the ones who will be affected first.”
Sebastian Vettel warns Miami residents of a bleak future.
(Photo: Sam Bloxham/Motorsport Images/Imago)
Now it can hardly be complained that Vettel is moving outside of science with this assessment. At best, it can be said that it is an intolerable contradiction when a four-time Formula 1 world champion has been buzzing around the racetrack for years and emitting CO2 to make money, while at the same time admonishing people to deflagrate less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere . However, you can also see it this way: Here someone uses his exposed position as a motorsports enthusiast valued by all gasoline heads worldwide and turns to his disciples to encourage them to turn away from the path that he knows very well himself. Who better to reach the Americans in their 5.4-litre pickups than a racing driver? So it’s the classic theme of the conversion from Saul to Paul. But Vettel is already proselytizing while he’s still a bit Saul. Transitions in life do not always happen as promptly as they do in the Bible.
Vettel’s race to catch up, which is well worth seeing, ends after a crash with Schumacher
After this experience, Vettel went on to spontaneously put on gray boxer shorts over his racing suit in the same color before free practice British Racing Green stuffed. That looked very silly. However, it was to be understood as a protest against the punishment that race director Niels Wittich threatened with all those who, contrary to the regulations, wear jewelry or non-fireproof underwear in the cockpit. And as a note of solidarity in support of Lewis Hamilton, who is in fact the only driver to have piercings so sophisticated he couldn’t take them off even if he wanted to.
Two days later, Vettel was sent to the pit lane by Wittich before the start. So now not because of his art installation in Unterbuchsee. Vettel was not allowed to pull past the traffic lights from parking bay 13, for which he had qualified because a measurement of the temperatures of the petrol in their company cars had shown that he and his teammate Lance Stroll were cooler than permitted. The catching-up race from the end of the field that followed, some of which was well worth seeing, ended for Vettel on the fourth to last lap. He overtook Schumacher at the end of lap 53 and crossed the start and finish line in ninth place before turning into the first corner. Schumacher braked late and sat next to Vettel on the inside, but couldn’t catch up there and hit Vettel’s right side box with his left front wheel. The race was over for him, Schumacher got a new front wing and finished 15th.
The commissioners came to the conclusion that no one was to blame, it was purely a racing accident. Since Vettel had the front wing in front at the moment of the crash and Schumacher rolled into the curve too hesitantly, one could argue with good arguments that Vettel “heard” the curve, as they say. But Vettel said: “I thought I had the curve and was in front, I didn’t expect him. When I saw him, it was too late. I’m sorry that we’re both out. We would have been better have to settle.” And Schumacher said: “If I see the pictures, I could have passed him more.”
You have to know that without the crash in his 26th Grand Prix, Schumacher would have scored the first points of his young Formula 1 career.