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Sebastian Vettel's recent call for inclusion in all walks of life landed him on the cover of the LQBTQ+ magazine "Attitude". One of the things that the Aston Martin driver touched upon in his interview was the hope of having the first gay driver on the F1 grid and how it might speed up the elimination of the inherent prejudice that still resides within the sport.
Vettel said:
“Perhaps that wouldn’t have been the case in the past, but now I think a gay Formula One driver would be welcomed—and rightly so. I feel that a gay driver would help to speed up the elimination of prejudice and help push our sport in a better direction. Formula One is a very popular sport around the world. It relates to something that a lot of people do every day on a basic level or, even if they don’t drive themselves, they at least come across regularly: driving—or being driven in—a car.”
He further said:
“Although driving is, in and of itself, dynamic, I regret to say that some members of the driving community, if I can call it that, are nonetheless very slow—static almost—when it comes to progress. Yet progress is inevitable. Cars have changed and will keep changing—for the better. Indeed, drivers have changed and will keep changing—again for the better. So I do have hope, and therefore I would absolutely welcome a gay Formula One driver. And, as I say, I think and hope our sport would be ready for one.”
Sebastian Vettel: Pretty sure there may have been a few gay drivers in the past
Sebastian Vettel was asked if he felt that there were a few drivers in the past who were gay but did not come out, or if there were any on the current grid. Responding to the question, the German felt that there was a chance that some of the drivers in the past were gay but did not reveal it. However, regarding the current grid, he hoped there weren't any as it would mean that an individual still feels like they need to hide their identity in the current climate.
Sebastian Vettel said:
“No, but I’m pretty sure there must have been some. I guess I wouldn’t know about them because they never came out, which is a shame. I would hope there aren’t any right now, but I guess I’m not the best judge. The reasons might be similar to the situation in a sport like football, for example: the old image of a player or driver as a ‘hero’ who should match a certain set of criteria. But the judging criteria are often just wrong. Who wrote them in the first place? Who got to decide?”
He continued:
“For example, ‘men don’t cry’ or ‘don’t show weakness’—how are those stereotypes in any way related to our performance? Why does our society still shame someone who admits weakness or acknowledges failure? To me, it should be the opposite. It takes enormous courage to show your real self rather than hiding behind a facade based on what people expect. We should start seeing and understanding that it’s the diversity in people that made us evolve and pushed us to new heights.”
It is heartening to see four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel using his influence and voice both inside and outside the sport to call for inclusion and be an open ally to the LGBTQIA+ community.
