Sebastian Vettel graces the cover of Attitude, a British gay magazine. The driver is posed as an ally of the LGBTQIA+ community, and he talked about the importance of Formula 1 increasingly embracing diversity and inclusion
Besides having marked Formula 1 with four world titles, Sebastian Vettel is also an example off the track, by positioning himself, showing the importance and defending social, inclusion, and diversity agendas. No wonder he was one of the athletes chosen - along with David Beckham and Adam Paety - to be on the cover of Attitude, the best-selling British gay magazine.
The German was part of the July/August issue precisely because it talks about "allied sportsmen", that is, those who defend and support the LGBTQIA+ community. Seb is a very important figure within F1, since he is always involved in protests and asks for more attention from the biggest category in motorsports to fight prejudice. He understands that today there is a little more open and respectful space for mechanics, engineers or even drivers to come out.
"Maybe it wasn't the case in the past, but now I think a gay driver in Formula One would be welcome - and rightly so," he said. "I feel that a gay driver would help accelerate the elimination of prejudice and help push our sport in a better direction. So I think - and hope - that our sport is ready for it," he added.
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"Now you see some engineers and mechanics who feel more open. But there is still more we can do to improve diversity and inclusion in motorsport, not only in terms of sexual orientation, but also supporting and encouraging women, black people, people with disabilities and so on," he continued.
Last year at the Hungarian GP, #5 wore a rainbow helmet in protest of the country's extremely conservative government. The administration of ultra-rightist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has, for example, banned transgender people from changing their names and made the legal definition of a family to include only those consisting of a male father and a female mother.
Even though the support is great, there are barriers (invisible or not) that cause fear and insecurity. The 34-year-old pilot, although hopeful for the future, also admits that there is a lot of discrimination and intolerance within the sport. It is worth remembering that this very week, the president of the FIA (International Automobile Federation), Mohammed Ben Sulayem, criticized Vettel himself, Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris regarding activism within F1.
"I didn't see it directly, but indirectly I heard people talking negatively about LGBTQIA+ people and the LGBTQIA+ community. Whenever I heard those things, it always felt wrong, but today I am more confident to speak up and shut them up. Homophobia is prejudice, and prejudice is wrong. It's really that simple," he declared.
The last and only Formula 1 driver who came out publicly as gay was Mike Beuttler, who was part of the category from 1974 to 1976. Today, in the W Series, 27-year-old driver Jessica Hawkins is openly lesbian. She is even an ambassador for the Aston Martin team.
"I think it may be similar to the situation in a sport like soccer: the old image of a player or driver as a 'hero,' who must meet a certain set of criteria. But the judgment criteria are wrong," he reiterated.
"How are these stereotypes related in any way to performance? Who has to decide? It takes enormous courage to show your true self, rather than hiding behind an image based on what people expect," Seb closed.