Do we like Sebastian Vettel?
Our score: 9 out of 10. He has backed LGBTQ+ people and climate action in his own words and acts for years, with only the odd on-track tantrum and a fair hypocrisy jibe against him.
Vettel was born in Heppenheim in 1987, started karting at three and was in Red Bull's junior system by 1998. He became the youngest race winner of his day at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix, aged 21, earning the nickname Baby Schumi. Then came four straight world titles with Red Bull from 2010 to 2013.
The best-known stoush is on track rather than off it. In 2007 he crashed into teammate Mark Webber behind the safety car in Japan, and Webber's verdict was “Kids with not enough experience.” His last years in the sport were a long dry spell after the title run, and he retired at the end of 2022. It's a racing story, not a character one.
On the harm test he's about as clean as they come. At the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix he wore a rainbow “same love” top through the anthem to protest Hungary's anti-LGBT law, and was given a non-driving reprimand. His response was “I would do it again.” We found no harmful words, and no dodgy company, in anything we read.
The one soft spot: asked about Saudi Arabia's human rights record in 2021, he reportedly gave a curt non-answer, while being sharper on Qatar. That's thin against the rest of his record, but it's the one place his activism looked selective. Otherwise we found no lawsuits, convictions or allegations about how he treats people, just stewards' fines on the track.
The good stuff is real. In 2020 he auctioned a rainbow “Together As One” helmet, with the proceeds going to charities helping children in Uganda and Togo. In April 2026 he ran the London Marathon in 2:59:08 for the Grand Prix Trust and the Brain & Spine Foundation, and he took home The Perfect World Foundation's environmental advocacy award.
Nothing messy lately. He's ruled out a driving comeback, telling ZDF “not as a driver”, though he says a different role in F1 is conceivable. He's also said he'd return only for something meaningful and not just for the money. A spot at the Earthshot Prize and a climate-led pitch for the sport fits the same pattern.