F1 News: Sebastian Vettel must 'apologize' for 'Frecce Tricolori' comments, says Automobile Club Milano president

The president of the Automobile Club Milano Geronimo La Russa has asked Sebastian Vettel to apologize to the President of Italy, Sergio Mattarella, and the nation as a whole after the German made seemingly insulting comments at the 2022 F1 Italian Grand Prix last weekend. Despite F1's sustainability goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2030, the sport continued with Italy’s Frecce Tricolori display, which was criticized by the four-time world champion.

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As quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sport, La Russa emphasized that Sebastian Vettel has offended the President of Italy, saying:

“It is a controversy that offends the President of the Republic and all of us. We thank Mattarella for coming here to celebrate the centenary of the racetrack: yesterday’s plane flew, for the first time, with a dose equal to 25% of fuel bio, an important experiment also for civil aviation.”

“I have always been taught that the President of the Republic listens and does not comment, especially if you are a guest of a foreign country. The overflight of the Frecce Tricolori is an Italian pride: sorry that a world champion, who has also won his first GP in Monza, has slipped into a controversy as useless as it is pretext. He just has to apologize to President Mattarella and to all the Italians.”

Earlier, Sebastian Vettel had commented on the futility of the spectacular flypast, saying:

“I heard the president of Italy was insisting to have the fly-by – I mean, he’s about 100 years old, so maybe it’s difficult for him to let go of these kinds of ego things. I think it has to stay on the calendar. It is a great circuit, a great atmosphere, but the fly-bys…”

He also added that he believes they should stop doing the fly-bys entirely, saying:

“We were promised that they are gone, and it seems that the president just has to change his mind and F1 gives in despite the boards around the track about certain goals when it comes to making the world a better place. F1 should move away from being influenced. If you have a goal then you shouldn’t do like all the countries and just neglect the fact that you won’t achieve it. You should stick to the word you put out, but time will tell. It’s a great circuit, a great atmosphere but they should stop doing the fly-bys.”

Sebastian Vettel confirms his first racing event after retirement

Sebastian Vettel announced earlier this year that he will be retiring from F1 at the end of the 2022 season and has now confirmed that he will be taking part in the 2023 Race Of Champions.

As reported by F1.com, the Aston Martin driver said:

“I can’t think of a better place for my first race after I retire from Formula 1 than the Race Of Champions. This will be my 11th appearance, and I keep coming back because it’s a special event, and so much fun. I don’t have much experience of racing on snow and ice so it made for a steep learning curve in Sweden earlier this year – and a very pleasant surprise to reach the individual final against Sebastien Loeb. Now I can’t wait to come back and give ROC-style ice racing another try and hopefully help Team Germany win another ROC Nations Cup title.”