Di Grassi did not mince his words as he took to Twitter to express his disappointment towards Vettel’s recent Formula E comments
Four-time Formula 1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel has disclosed, in a recent interview with Zeit, that he would not accept a seat in Formula E if he were offered one.
The German driver, who will retire at the end of the 2022 season, said he had no intention of taking on an “ambassador role” for the all-electric series.
“I don’t want to be the face for something that doesn’t fully convince me,” he said. “I don’t understand the meaning behind [Formula E]. The battery technology that is being developed has nothing to do with the technology that a normal car could use.”
His comments gained traction on social media, and soon Lucas Di Grassi took to Twitter to respond to Vettel, saying that if he didn’t want to go to Formula E, that was “his choice”.
“Although it is the second highest paid series single seater in the world, still far away from a top F1 salary,” he wrote, hinting at perhaps another reason why Vettel wouldn’t want to join the series.
In the follow-up tweet, Di Grassi doubled-down on the accusations, writing: “Either has no idea of what he is talking about or is trying to mislead the general public on purpose.”
Formula E has been criticised in some media circles for using diesel to fuel generators that would dispel smoke in the paddock. This was due to the higher charge rate of the Gen2 cars. However, the series is working towards a more sustainable solution to generate the electrical power it needs to be able to race, including HVO (Hidrogenated Vegetable Oils).
Vettel is known to be one of the most outspoken Formula 1 drivers when it comes to several social causes, but also sustainability. The German driver had come under fire at the Canadian GP, where he showed up in the paddock wearing a t-shirt bearing the words “Stop Mining Tar Sands” and “Canada’s Climate Crime”.
This drew the ire of Sonya Savage, Alberta’s Energy Minister, who called Vettel a “hypocrite”, saying that “a race car driver sponsored by Aston Martin, with financing from Saudi Aramco” should not be complaining about the oilsands in Canada.
Di Grassi seems to have taken a rather similar approach in his own message to Vettel.
“And/or all that green stuff he has been doing lately – collecting trash, riding bicycles etc – is completely greenwashing, not what he truly believes,” he wrote in accusation.
The Brazilian driver however then added another tweet to his thread, trying perhaps to soothe the reactions his comments had generated within the Formula 1 community.
“So, whether he likes or not the series, he should be supportive of it. That’s all.”
Di Grassi has been making a habit recently of proving himself to be a total pillock. Why should Vettel be compelled to be supportive of something he doesn’t like? Especially when it’s utter shit, like the milk float races.
So first Vettel is complaining about the cost of motorsports, but also criticizes Formula E for having lower salaries than Formula 1? You can’t make this stuff up. The guy is worth $140 million dollars. How much money does someone who looks homeless with no personality or taste in anything actually need?
Big man Todd makes comments about someone’s appearances because he doesn’t like them. Proud of you for making a great point.
Formula E has no relevance. There it was said they use diesel generators. They are slow ugly cars. They also use materials and production processes making immissions into the air. Just stay with ice vehicles as the so called garbon footprint for EV and ICE cars are the same. The earth will re-generate itself.
You are correct, the Earth will indeed look after itself. There are already signs of increasing volcanic activity, as nature pushes back against the reduction of CO2 in the atmosphere in order to protect its plant life.