Vettel and Mercedes bring Messages of the Month Pride of LOATKI+ to F1

As four-time F1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel calls on Formula 1 to tackle discrimination and prejudice, Mercedes will bring its rainbow-colored emblem to the next three GPs – a symbol of the LGBT community.

Vettel says F1 is now ready to accept its first openly gay driver, arguing that this will help break down prejudice and take the sport “in a better direction”.

The German driver was photographed by Aston Martin for the cover of the summer issue of “Attitude”, the world’s best-selling magazine on homosexuality. Other international sports stars such as David Beckham have featured on the same cover in the recent past.

Vettel in particular emphasized in an interview with the magazine: “I listened to people indirectly [στη F1] speaking negatively about LGBTQI and this community. Every time I heard something like this I immediately felt bad, but today I feel more confident talking and making ’em pop. Homophobia is prejudice and prejudice is wrong. It’s really, really easy.”

The German added: “I imagine a situation similar to football: the old stereotype of a footballer or coach “hero” who meets certain criteria. But these criteria are wrong. How exactly do these criteria relate to everyone’s performance? Who decides? It takes tremendous courage to show your true self instead of hiding behind a mask defined by what others believe.

After the Brit Mike Butler, who competed in Formula 1 from 1971 to 1973, no other gay driver is known in this sport. In contrast, motorsport today is generally dominated by gay women, such as Jessica Hawkins, who competes in the W Series and works with Vettel at Aston Martin.

Vettel added that F1 has a lot to do with this serious issue: “Things are getting better, you see some engineers now that feel like they can open up more. But there is still a lot we can do to increase diversity and accessibility in sport, not only in relation to sexuality, but also in supporting and empowering women, black people, people with disabilities, etc.

THE F1 started a movement called We Race As One and that’s good, but we always have to strive to make this a positive change. And so we speak with deeds and not with words”concluded the 34-year-old.

Likewise, Mercedes announced that for the duration of Pride at the next three GPs – Azerbaijan, Canada and Great Britain – its emblem on the snout of the W13 and the helmets of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell will have the colors of the rainbow – symbol of the LOATKI+ community.

With the colorful star of Stuttgart, the F1 champion wants to spread the message of the month Pride and everything he represents. And he says it’s just one of the relevant actions in the coming weeks of the Accelerate 25 program he’s driving with Lewis Hamilton to spread the message of social equality and the elimination of all forms of discrimination.