02 October 2023 , 14:40
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Sebastian Vettel was left “ballistic” at Silverstone after footage was leaked of him litter-picking in the Grandstand at Silverstone.
The German icon was in the midst of his first season with Aston Martin back during the 2021 campaign. He had endured an inconsistent start to the campaign but was searching for more success during the British Grand Prix after his two previous successes.
The four-time Formula One champion's impact was mainly limited to off the track as footage was shared showing him clearing the spectator’s seats of litter. However, British Touring Car legend Jason Plato has since revealed that Vettel was furious at the footage being shared.
Speaking on the Fuelling Around podcast, he said: “It was Seb’s idea and he said ‘I want to help clear up’. On the Monday he went with bin liners and cleaned up all of the grandstands.
“And do you know what? His only request was ‘I don’t want this put on social media’. Silverstone actually broke that trust and did put something out and he went ballistic. That’s really interesting because that’s the character of the man. He just wanted to do something quietly, for himself, and that’s unusual in the crazy world of motorsport.”
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It was certainly a surprise to see the former Red Bull star mucking in at Silverstone. He had only been in action a matter of hours before as he was forced to retire for the first time in the season.
Sebastian Vettel took a strong stance against littering during the 2021 British GP (Getty Images)Who do you will win the Qatar Grand Prix? Share your thoughts in the comments below
Speaking to reporters after the race, Vettel revealed exactly why he wanted to help out. As quoted by Sky Sports, he said: “I landed in the winter and went to see the [Aston Martin] factory and meet the people for the first time and I was shocked by the amount of litter next to the road.
“That’s where the idea was born and I think there’s a lot of catching up that needs to be done in terms of communication and getting people to understand that you don’t just throw your stuff away.
“Especially in the winter because you don’t have leaves on all the hedges and stuff. You get to see what people throw away and it was shocking. Clearly, people don’t do that at home. I haven’t been to everybody’s house and home in the UK but I think generally people don’t act like this at home or in their grounds so why do that? I just don’t understand.
“It’s actually one of the few things that makes me angry, people just opening the window and chucking their stuff out. So that’s where the idea was born and Silverstone has been helpful and we obviously had a little bit of preparation done to understand the big picture."
He added: “The idea was to first help and see where the stuff goes it was really interesting. Second, to inspire and get people to a state where they ask questions.”