None of this put him at odds with F1’s rules. In Hungary, Vettel was bedecked in the same stripes, which appeared on his trainers and face mask, and on the T-shirt he wore to the ‘We Race As One’ ceremony. Three others received same reprimand as VettelEarlier this year Vettel criticised football’s governing body, UEFA, for forbidding a football stadium in Germany from being illuminated in the rainbow colours of the pride flag ahead of a game between their national team and Hungary. “I find it embarrassing for a country which is in the European Union having to vote or having some laws like this,” he said.
In the FIA press conference before the weekend began, Vettel slated the Hungarian government’s recently-introduced legislation banning the teaching of gay issues to those under 18. This is a sensitive area, as causes drivers may wish to indicate their support for may clash with the policies of the countries they race in. Three other drivers – Carlos Sainz Jnr, Lance Stroll and Valtteri Bottas – were all given the same reprimand for the same infringement, though they had different shirts on during the ceremony.įollowing the introduction of the pre-race ‘We Race As One’ observance last year, the FIA has revised its carefully-framed protocol on what drivers must do during it and the pre-race national anthem performance.
However the Aston Martin driver’s shirt, with its rainbow pattern and ‘Same Love’ message, was not the cause of the FIA’s displeasure.
