Vettel: F1 can pair sustainability with exciting racing

Sebastian Vettel believes Formula 1 can chase sustainability without sacrificing the excitement that defines it. The four-time champion, once one of the sport's most vocal hybrid critics, now sees technology as the bridge between responsibility and spectacle.

Why it matters:

Vettel's evolution from "bring back the V12s" to sustainability advocate gives his words unusual weight. As F1 races with advanced sustainable fuels and prepares for a louder engine formula later this decade, his belief that the two goals can coexist is central to the sport's direction.

The details:

• Vettel was not the biggest proponent of the turbo-hybrid formula introduced in 2014, criticizing its sound and complexity. After his Ferrari's hybrid failure at the 2019 Russian Grand Prix, he famously radioed: "bring back the f***ing V12s."
• Yet he insists the latest technology offers a different path. Speaking after driving Michael Schumacher's 2002 Ferrari V10 at the 2023 Italian Grand Prix, Vettel said "one doesn't have to exclude the other" and that F1 needs to find ways to combine the things people love with responsibility.
• He has long advocated synthetic and e-fuels. F1's switch to advanced sustainable fuels arrived after his retirement, but he called it "the step forward" with huge potential to inspire other racing series and influence road cars.
• F1's next engine rules, expected to bring back bigger and louder V8s by 2030 or 2031, align with his hope that future cars can be spectacular and sustainable at the same time.

What's next:

Vettel remains involved in racing through Race of Champions appearances. His comments are a reminder that F1's green push doesn't have to mute the emotion of grand prix racing — and that the sport can take fans along for the ride.