Sebastian Vettel Argues For Huge Change In F1 As Environmental Pressures Rise

Sebastian Vettel has spoken about the use of sustainable fuels in F1.

Sebastian Vettel has spoken out on pushing for more sustainable fuels to be used in racing series, including Formula 1. This comes as the sport is under pressure to become carbon neutral by 2030.

The four-time F1 champion took to the Goodwood circuit for the Festival of Speed over the weekend to take some of his iconic Formula One cars out whilst running them on sustainable fuels as part of his Race Without A Trace campaign. 

Whilst speaking to selected media including F1 Briefings, Vettel responded to questions regarding the price of the sustainable fuels and how this could impact F1 and the junior categories. The German driver explained that he does not see this being an issue for F1 as the fuel that is currently used is about five times the price, he commented:

"So speaking for F1, the fuel that they are currently using is a lot more expensive than the [sustainable] fuel, for example, that I'm gonna put in the McLaren and the Williams [today] and the Williams last year, which was roughly five or four pounds a litre.

"I filled up this week at a petrol station and, for diesel, I paid 1.47. So there's a significant difference. To people in F1, it doesn't make a difference, to be honest. 

"I'm sorry, maybe it should, but it doesn't because there's enough money and as I said, the fuel that they're burning today is far more expensive, maybe something like times five what I pay for the fuel that I use."

Vettel went on to explain that whilst it would start as a challenge to some of the more junior racing series, the more it is used the cheaper it will become. He continued:

"But for some categories, obviously for private racing, amateur racing, it will make a difference. But again, the more you make of it, the better or the cheaper it will become. I'm convinced of that one. 

"Obviously the base is always renewable energy. The answer at the moment is that we don't have enough and there's other sources that would need that energy first - a lot of houses to make electricity and to warm those houses. But obviously they will have a place in the future.

"Not just thinking about motorsport, which I'd love to because it's my sport, but also thinking about ships, planes. I don't think we have an alternative for different planes. What do you do to all the planes that are currently in use? So for those kind of things, I think it does make sense.

"If inevitably a plane ticket or a day on the track will get more expensive, maybe that is, for an amount of period, the price that we will have to pay. But I think there's a lot of people that would probably agree that you'd rather pay that price than not do it at all. If that's the alternative."