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Aston Martin F1's Sebastian Vettel was spotted wearing LGBTQ+ friendly shoes at the pre-race media briefing for the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, to be held at the Jeddah International Circuit.
Saudi Arabia, along with the entire Middle East, has been receiving a lot of flak owing to its cases of human rights violations and severe repression against the LGBTQ+ community.
Along with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, hosting an entire leg of the Formula 1 calendar in the Middle East has turned quite a few eye-balls. Organizing races in these parts of the world, stands in stark contrast to Formula 1's efforts, that focus on raising awareness and solidarity with its #WeRaceAsOne campaign.
The act of Sebastian Vettel wearing shoes sporting LGBTQ+ colors sends out a positive signal to the global community. Its significance lies in the fact that, even though Formula 1 is holding a race in the Middle East, it has not let go of its values and the message that it is trying to propagate.
Sebastian Vettel joins Lewis Hamilton in support to LGBTQ+ community
Sebastian Vettel will not be the only driver on the grid sporting the LGBTQ+ colors at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. His Mercedes F1 counterpart Lewis Hamilton also unveiled a special helmet dedicated to the LGBTQ+ community that will feature in the last two races.
Hamilton has been very outspoken in promoting inclusivity and spearheading diversity in Formula 1, for quite a while now.
This weekend marks the first ever Formula 1 race not only at the Jeddah Circuit, but in Saudi Arabia as well. The newly-constructed circuit is expected to be the second fastest track on the F1 calendar after Monza, with its long straights. Being a street circuit, it also needs to be seen how the proximity of the walls will impact the race.
At the same time, it is always nice to see veterans of the sport like Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton, raising their voices in doing their bit to spread awareness and the right message across the world.
