Sebastian Vettel wears a rainbow-colored shirt and face mask at the Hungarian F1 Grand Prix on August 1, 2021 in Budapest, Hungary. (Dan Istitene / Formula 1 via Getty Images)
Formula 1 champion Sebastian Vettel said he wanted to “send a message of support” while showing off his LGBT + allies at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
The four-time world champion wore a rainbow top with the words “Same Love” and a Pride-colored face mask during the national anthem at the race in August.
He and three others – Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Vettel’s teammate Lance Stroll – were reprimanded for not taking off their shirts, claiming at the time that they forgot to take them off because it was raining.
However, in a new interview with the BBC’s LGBT sports podcast, Vettel explained how he carefully designed the ad to protest Hungary’s attacks on the LGBT + community.
Vettel recalled seeing reports on the Hungarian government’s anti-LGBT + views on the news that he believed were “totally wrong”.
“So the idea came about that we have this moment before the race when we can spread certain messages, and I thought it would be a good opportunity to make a small statement,” said Vettel.
Sebastian Vettel from Germany and the Aston Martin F1 team. (AFP via Getty / Pool / FLORION GOGA)
He told the BBC podcast that the decision to visibly show his support for the LGBT + community at the Hungarian Grand Prix was not an impulsive one and he had a specific message for the country’s hostile government.
“I wasn’t nervous or embarrassed about the rainbow colors or what people think,” explained Vettel. “I wanted to send a message and I was very proud of it.”
The German Aston Martin driver explained that the words on his shirt – “same love” – came from the name of a “beautiful song” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. He thought the song “nicely explains some of the wrong perceptions people have” about others.
“It doesn’t matter what skin color you have, no matter where you come from, no matter who you fall in love with,” said Vettel. “In the end, you just want everyone to be treated equally.”
Sebastian Vettel is not the only one who campaigns against the Hungarian government for LGBT + rights.
Hungary passed a law earlier this year banning the representation of LGBT + people in schools, in advertising and in the media that can be seen by minors. The country’s government is facing seemingly endless international backlash over the heinous law.
Another Formula 1 champion, Lewis Hamilton, criticized Hungary’s “unacceptable, cowardly and misguided” anti-LGBT + law before the Grand Prix. The British driver wrote that everyone “deserves the freedom to be themselves, no matter who they love or how they identify”.
The Hungarian government announced in July that it would hold a referendum on child protection as the country expanded in the country’s escalating struggle with the EU for LGBT + rights.
Far-right Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s chief of staff said this referendum could take place later this year or early 2022, Reuters reported.
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