Sebastian Vettel will drive Nigel Mansell’s Williams FW14B at Silverstone on Sunday, 30 years after it took Mansell to British Grand Prix victory and the 1992 world championship.
And while this may not seem too different from your average demonstration run with a current driver in a classic F1 car, Vettel is typically approaching things in a different way.
Vettel bought the FW14B a few years ago as it was one of the key cars of his childhood – and one that bears the number he used when he won his first world championship with Red Bull in 2010.
“It was my idea, it’s my car,” Vettel said when asked how the demo run came about.
“It means a bit more than just the car from 30 years ago, I’ve got the number five, I won my first championship with ‘red five’, even if it was a little bit smaller on our cars there. I was wearing number five throughout karting quite a lot, I’m enjoying having the number five, so there’s a link there.
“The early 90s is the first sort of memories I have from Formula 1, memories of that car and the years after.
“It was my idea, my initiative, I thought exactly 30 years after it won the championship but also the British GP. It’s a great idea.”
That’s all a fairly standard reasoning for an F1 demonstration run but an environmentally-conscious Vettel has another motive.
“But I also thought we have to do it in a responsible way, so we’re using carbon-neutral fuels on Sunday, to demonstrate that we can still hang onto our history and heritage, culture in motorsport and do it in a more responsible way,” Vettel explained.
“Very much looking forward to driving the car, and to hearing the car. I think a lot of people will share the joy with me.”
Vettel added that it took “some effort” to find a suitable fuel but that it was very easy to get it into the car once the right fuel was chosen.
“It only took one shakedown to get on top of it, you’ll see it on Sunday, it’s no difference to how the car was 30 years ago, it will sound exactly the same, it will drive the same way,” Vettel said.
“And I will not try within a couple of laps to go to the absolute limit, but I will try to enjoy it, which means I will go as fast as I feel comfortable with.
“Bearing in mind it’s my car, it’s maybe a bit different to a car that you’re just given… I shouldn’t say that.
“It’s important to find a way we can do it responsibly in the future as well to keep these cars and the history alive.
“In the end, there is culture, you can express culture in many ways, music, arts, but our sort of culture, our way of expressing ourselves is driving cars, racing cars, and it would be a shame if that was all to disappear.
“I think it’s a way to keep it alive.”
F1 is planning to introduce a sustainable synthetic fuel of its own from 2026 – but it’s a switch that “could be sooner” according to Vettel, who continues to push for a more sustainable championship.
And his unique F1 demonstration is yet another example of how he’s doing things differently to promote an important message.
