Sebastian Vettel Risked It All While Breaking the Law Publicly Fighting For “An Inalienable Human Right”

The LGBTQ+ community is one of the most underrepresented communities in sports. Taking F1 as an example, there are no openly gay drivers racing in F1 at the moment. The transition to a more inclusive sport is obviously going to be a slow one, but Sebastian Vettel has been involved in doing his individual best to help in that transition.

Sebastian Vettel has been very vocal and outspoken about his views and opinions on the matter. Most famously, at the Hungarian GP, he made a subtle yet not-so-subtle protest against the country’s laws against the LGBTQ+ community.

F1 journalist, Matt Bishop, speaking on what he’d miss the most about the German said “He’s an ally for LGBTQ+ people. He was asked about that and that’s why I’m wearing this t-shirt, this t-shirt with the rainbow colors.”

“And when he went to Hungary last year and there had been some laws passed that were disadvantageous to the LGBTQ+ community in that country and he said “I am wearing these trainers with rainbow colors. I know it’s only what I’ve put on my feet. But I knew I’d be asked about it and the reason I’m wearing it is because I stand up for what I regard as an inalienable human right. Which is everyone should be allowed to be who you want to be and love who you want to love.”

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It takes courage to be different. The diversity and differences, and our ability to enjoy those differences are what makes us human. Vettel’s support is invaluable for the community, and F1 needs more drivers like him.

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In a sport as widely followed and as globalized as F1, it really is confounding to know that there are no openly gay drivers. The question that arises then is – why?

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While no generalized statements should be made, there seem to be some members of the F1 top brass who don’t see the issue in the same way as Sebastian, or Lewis Hamilton.

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said “Niki Lauda and Alain Prost only cared about driving. Now, Vettel drives a rainbow bicycle, Lewis is passionate about human rights and Norris addresses mental health. Everybody has the right to think. To me, it is about deciding whether we should impose our beliefs in something over the sport all the time.”

The statement understandably drew a lot of ire from the F1 world, leading to Sulayem providing clarifications later on. He said “As a driver, I have always believed in sport as a catalyst of progress in society. That is why promoting sustainability, diversity, and inclusion is a key priority of my mandate. In the same way, I value the commitment of all drivers and champions for a better future.”

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Which statement to believe and to what extent is the reader’s choice. But inclusivity is the goal for most drivers and teams on the grid. If that inclusivity shows or not will be the test for F1 and the FIA.