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Sebastian Vettel has drawn a lot of flak for his comments about Canada exploiting Alberta's oil sands. The four-time world champion has been subjected to a lot of online hate as even members from the Ministry of Environment in Canada took offense to his views.
Sonya Savage, Alberta’s minister for energy, who is also a member of the United Conservative Party of Alberta and a supporter of oil pipeline construction, slated the Aston Martin driver in a series of tweets terming him a "hypocrite." She pointed out that Sebastian Vettel's team is sponsored by Aramco, a company that is the largest contributor to global carbon emissions.
In her Tweets, Sonya Savage wrote:
“I have seen a lot of hypocrisy over the years, but this one takes the cake. A race car driver sponsored by Aston Martin, with financing from Saudi Aramco, complaining about the oil sands. Saudi Aramco has the largest daily oil production of all companies in the world.”
She continued:
“It is reputed to be the single largest contributor to global carbon emissions, of any company, since 1965. Rather than demonizing the oil sands, which is on a path to net-zero, people could look to lowering their own personal carbon footprint. Perhaps a pedal-car for Formula 1?”
Controversial public commentator W. Brett Wilson went on a rant against Sebastian Vettel as well. Taking to Twitter, Wilson wrote:
“This juvenile d***wad has no business opening his pie hole. Let along being allowed in Canada. From Germany - home of the most unreliable energy grid in Europe - driving hydrocarbon based engines - sponsored by the questionable ethics of Saudi - & he sh*ts on our oilsands? Bye.”
What had Sebastian Vettel said about the oil sand mining in Canada?
Sebastian Vettel arrived at the Canadian GP on a bicycle, wearing a T-shirt with an anti-oil sands slogan. The T-shirt read “Stop Mining Tar Sands” and below a picture of a pipeline, added “Canada’s Climate Crime.”
When Vettel was asked to elaborate on the message and his views on the topic he said:
“I think what happens in Alberta is a crime because you chop down a lot of trees and you basically destroy the place just to extract oil, and the manner of doing it with the tar sands, oilsands mining, is horrible for nature.”
He continued:
“There’s so much science around the topic that fossil fuels are going to end, and living in a time that we do now, these things shouldn’t be allowed anymore, and they shouldn’t happen.”
Vettel has been making waves in the F1 world with his views on inclusion and social activism. The German also recently made an appearance on the British political talk show Question Hour. With his views, it was inevitable that the four-time world champion would eventually ruffle a few feathers. It remains to be seen whether Sebastian Vettel will reply to the criticism he recieved.
Catch him next at the Canadian GP on June 19, 2022.
