2023-08-16 09:28:11
Sebastian Vettel begins to write down car kilometers, every flight, every overnight stay. And comes to a result that he did not expect.
Berlin.
When Sebastian Vettel started measuring his CO2 footprint a few years ago, the former Formula 1 driver was in for a nasty surprise.
In an interview with the “Red Bulletin”, the 36-year-old Heppenheimer revealed the results he came up with at the time – and what they triggered in him. He wrote down car kilometers, every flight, every overnight stay. “Seeing that number compared to the average Joe blew my mind!” he said.
When asked, he explained: “I started at 400 tons – only in connection with F1. In the end I was down to 60 tons.” According to the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection, the per capita carbon footprint in Germany was 10.5 tons at the beginning of this year.
Vettel emphasized that he took action at the time to reduce the value of 400 tons. He is known to have traveled to races by car and train in the final years of his career.
flights reduced
“Most of the reduction was the elimination of flights,” he said in an interview. “I don’t want to dictate anything to anyone or portray myself as an angel, but that’s how I started with myself. This step felt like zero sacrifice, but completely logical – like all the other smaller ones that I had taken in parallel. I felt very satisfied.” He also enjoyed seeing things that he would have missed on the plane: “The supposed loss of time is not really a loss, I noticed.”
Vettel has been known for years for supporting issues such as human rights, equality, sustainability and environmental protection. As a longtime Formula 1 driver, who won the World Championship four times, among other things, he was always accompanied by criticism. He ended his career after the 2022 season, mainly because he wants to have more time with his family. Vettel has three children with his wife and lives on a former farm in Switzerland.
When asked if he wanted to make the world a better place, Vettel replied: “In general, I’m looking ahead. That comes from my time in sport: How can we improve? I’m far too small to set out and save the world, and the world is far too big for that. But I find tasks that inspire me.” (dpa)
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