Vettel bought the famous car known as “Red 5” from Nigel Mansell in 2020, but had not had a chance to drive it until recently, when he completed a shakedown ahead of this weekend’s race at Silverstone.
During this display, Sebastian Vettel completed a few laps behind the wheel of the FW14B to mark 30 years since Mansell won the 1992 British Grand Prix and the championship that same year, as well as using a carbon neutral fuel. that was used to move said classic single-seater.
The German veteran parked the car on the main straight at Silverstone after completing these laps and was greeted by Mansell himself. Several Formula 1 drivers, including Lewis Hamilton, Mick Schumacher and George Russell, approached Vettel about the experience, as did current F1 boss Stefano Domenicali and FIA president Mohamed Ben Sulayem .
In response to a question from Motorsport.com about the exhibition, the four-time world champion said: “It was very special, also the fact that he was there, waiting for me.
“I felt like I was a five-year-old again, because the sound and everything made me go back in time 30 years.”
“Doing it the way we did it, with a carbon neutral fuel and showing the same emotions, it’s a great thing, we can do it in a more responsible way, it was very important to me.”
“When I came up with the idea, I thought ’30 years ago Nigel won the grand prix here and I have the car from that time, the same car’, but I didn’t want to do it in a way that would waste resources and I thought of a better alternative to do it. “.
“So I’m really proud that I was able to do it like that. It was even on my birthday, which I didn’t even realize at the time!”
1992 World Champion Nigel Mansell in his Williams FW14B and Sebastian Vettel in Aston Martin
The use of carbon-neutral fuels was part of the ” Race Without Trace” initiative, the branding of which appeared on Vettel ‘s custom suit.
The German has been the current driver on the F1 grid who has spoken out the most on these environmental issues, underlining the need to achieve greater sustainability for the future.
The highest category of motorsport plans to introduce fully sustainable fuels in the next generation of power units that should arrive in 2026, but Vettel explained that “there is no time to lose”.
“The introduction is planned for 2026, I understand that not everyone agrees to change it earlier, but in the end that is probably the right decision, to do it earlier,” concluded the four-time F1 world champion.
