F1 News: Silverstone Left In Tatters As Litter Muddies Otherwise Brilliant British GP

Sebastian Vettel helped clear the litter in 2021. But who is going to help now?

Hands down, the British Grand Prix of 2023 was one of the best races of the season. While pole-sitter Max Verstappen went on to do what he does best - win. The battle between Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton for second place was something that held everyone's attention. 

In fact, Lando's McLaren led the race for a brief moment until he was overtaken by Verstappen. This was the first time a McLaren car led the British Grand Prix since 2012 when Hamilton raced for the team. 

The attendance at Silverstone broke all the records this year. Over 450,000 fans attended the race. However, the huge turnout also had a downside to it. 

A video that is being circulated on Twitter after the race shows the amount of trash thrown by spectators. All you can see is a sea of litter that people left behind on the grass at Silverstone. One fan commented that all the trash bins were overflowing but that isn't a good enough reason to litter. 

Embarrassing effort, Silverstone.

Takes two seconds to pick your rubbish up and take it home. Been the same every day too. pic.twitter.com/Ar2XAc0PCf

— Nathan Tague (@G2Rosso) July 9, 2023

This isn't the first time Silverstone was covered with trash. It happens almost every year and concerned authorities seem to be taking no concrete action to deal with the problem. 

In 2021, rather embarrassingly, former F1 driver Sebastian Vettel pitched in to help clean the stands after putting on a pair of gloves and a mask. Though the race was a DNF for Sebastian, he decided to stick around after the event and got his hands dirty for the job quite literally! 

Through this action of his, Vettel aimed to raise awareness about the problem of trash and how it is impacting our planet. Sadly though, no one seems to have heeded his words and actions considering the state of Silverstone post-Sunday's race. 

Fans on Twitter have expressed disgust and anger after watching the video. 

As an American, I don't want to make any blanket statements about Brits. But at least this was out in the open where the trash could be seen and picked up. I visited Brands a few weekend ago and saw people just throwing garbage into the woods. And that place has bins everywhere.

— Tim LaBerge (@TheTimLaBerge) July 9, 2023

Another fan insisted on a 'no plastic rule'.

This is absolutely disgusting!! The same thing happened at Albert Park. Maybe the organisers and food stalls need to instil a NO Plastic rule, like it should be!!! It's all about being more environmentally friendly, which I thought Formula 1 wants to be??

— Lachlan Browne (@Lachlan1655) July 10, 2023

Like many others, this fan missed Vettel. 

Where is Seb when We Need Him😫 pic.twitter.com/mQAdlRKdb2

— Adam Sikorski #SEB5 (@AkaczF1) July 9, 2023