F1 News: Lewis Hamilton On Sebastian Vettel's Retirement - "One Of The Only Drivers That Stands For Something"
Lewis Hamilton has spoken about Sebastian Vettel's retirement from the sport, saying that "he was one of the only drivers that stands for something".
Vettel announced earlier this year that he would be retiring at the end of the 2022 season. The German driver made his F1 debut at the same time as Hamilton in 2007 and they became each others biggest rivals as well as close friends.
During an interview with Channel 4, Hamilton spoke about Vettel. He said:
"He's one of the only drivers that stands for something. I mean, what other driver has really truly stood for something other than themselves?
"That's something to be really admired in human beings. We're gonna miss him."
Both Hamilton and Vettel have done a lot with their platforms outside of the F1 world. Vettel has done a lot for environmental and social issues. After the British GP in 2021, the German driver could be seen helping with the litter clean-up.
As Formula 1 is on its way to its goal of being carbon neutral by 2030, Vettel held a critical role in changing how the races are scheduled to reduce the amount of travelling that the drivers and teams have to do.
As well as his fight for the sport to be more environmentally friendly, Vettel has done a lot for social issues. He was seen wearing a pride flag at the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2021, which he was reprimanded for. He was also very vocal about having the Russia Grand Prix removed from the line-up after Russia invaded Ukraine.
During 2022, Vettel made an appearance on BBC One's Question Time to talk about climate change and Brexit. He was also featured on the front cover of Attitude where he showed support for having an LGBTQ driver on the grid.
We may now not see driver's doing this in the future after the FIA changed their rules to prohibit driver's from making political, religious, or personal statements during a race weekend, without prior approval.
The statement from the FIA read:
"The general making and display of political, religious and personal statements or comments notably in violation of the general principle of neutrality promoted by the FIA under its statutes, unless previously approved in writing by the FIA for International Competitions, or by the relevant ASN for National Competitions within their jurisdiction."