Latest news with #Race4Women
Scottish Sun
30-04-2025
- Automotive
- Scottish Sun
Four-time F1 world champion, 37, reveals he is ‘not allowed to race anymore'
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SEBASTIAN VETTEL is no longer allowed to race - under instruction from his kids. The former professional driver won the Formula 1 Championship four times between 2010-2013. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Sebastian Vettel has been told by his kids not to return to racing He quit F1 in 2022 after racing with Aston Martin for two years, finishing 12th both seasons. Vettel, 37, admits he is happy in retirement and even if he wanted to make a return, he has been told he is not allowed to - by his children. He told Sky Sports Germany F1: "My kids told me I'm not allowed to race anymore because they like me so much. "It's wonderful to hear that. READ MORE IN F1 F1 STAR HIT Moment thief makes off with Jenson Button's wife's suitcase containing £250k "Family harmony still exists. I've learned a lot about myself during this time. I'm very content, and I don't get bored." Vettel has three children with his wife Hanna Prater - daughters Emilie, 11 and Mathilda, 9, and a son. The German, who raced for Red Bull for six years, now works for the organisation in Saudi Arabia where he teaches girls Go-Karting as part of the Race4Women event. However his long-term future could lie in F1, potentially in a role with Red Bull as an advisor, succeeding Helmut Marko. BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS Marko said of Vettel and his own future at Red Bull: "No decision has been made yet, but it's also quite clear: At some point, it won't be possible anymore—also due to age. "It would be great if someone like Sebastian Vettel would take over. 'People can't handle the truth' - Verstappen FUMES after being given five-second penalty and takes swipe at F1 bosses "On the one hand, there's the junior program. He's already working with girls in go-karting in Saudi Arabia. "And the other is the larger, strategic direction of a Formula 1 team. I think Sebastian has found himself and now knows what he wants to do in the future—and that's primarily motorsport." Responding to the rumours, Vettel said: "We're still working out what it could look like. But I don't want to impose myself."
The Irish Sun
30-04-2025
- Automotive
- The Irish Sun
Four-time F1 world champion, 37, reveals he is ‘not allowed to race anymore'
SEBASTIAN VETTEL is no longer allowed to race - under instruction from his kids. The former professional driver won the Formula 1 Championship four times between 2010-2013. Advertisement 1 Sebastian Vettel has been told by his kids not to return to racing He quit F1 in 2022 after racing with Aston Martin for two years, finishing 12th both seasons. Vettel, 37, admits he is happy in retirement and even if he wanted to make a return, he has been told he is not allowed to - by his children. He told race anymore because they like me so much. "It's wonderful to hear that. Advertisement READ MORE IN F1 "Family harmony still exists. I've learned a lot about myself during this time. I'm very content, and I don't get bored." Vettel has three children with his wife Hanna Prater - daughters Emilie, 11 and Mathilda, 9, and a son. The German, who raced for Red Bull for six years, now works for the organisation in Saudi Arabia where he teaches girls Go-Karting as part of the Race4Women event. However his long-term future could lie in F1, potentially in a role with Red Bull as an advisor, succeeding Helmut Marko. Advertisement Most read in Motorsport BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS Marko said of Vettel and his own future at Red Bull: "No decision has been made yet, but it's also quite clear: At some point, it won't be possible anymore—also due to age. "It would be great if someone like 'People can't handle the truth' - Verstappen FUMES after being given five-second penalty and takes swipe at F1 bosses "On the one hand, there's the junior program. He's already working with girls in go-karting in Saudi Arabia . Advertisement "And the other is the larger, strategic direction of a Formula 1 team. I think Sebastian has found himself and now knows what he wants to do in the future—and that's primarily motorsport." Responding to the rumours, Vettel said: "We're still working out what it could look like. But I don't want to impose myself."
The Sun
30-04-2025
- Automotive
- The Sun
Four-time F1 world champion, 37, reveals he is ‘not allowed to race anymore'
SEBASTIAN VETTEL is no longer allowed to race - under instruction from his kids. The former professional driver won the Formula 1 Championship four times between 2010-2013. He quit F1 in 2022 after racing with Aston Martin for two years, finishing 12th both seasons. Vettel, 37, admits he is happy in retirement and even if he wanted to make a return, he has been told he is not allowed to - by his children. He told Sky Sports Germany F1: "My kids told me I'm not allowed to race anymore because they like me so much. "It's wonderful to hear that. "Family harmony still exists. I've learned a lot about myself during this time. I'm very content, and I don't get bored." Vettel has three children with his wife Hanna Prater - daughters Emilie, 11 and Mathilda, 9, and a son. The German, who raced for Red Bull for six years, now works for the organisation in Saudi Arabia where he teaches girls Go-Karting as part of the Race4Women event. However his long-term future could lie in F1, potentially in a role with Red Bull as an advisor, succeeding Helmut Marko. Marko said of Vettel and his own future at Red Bull: "No decision has been made yet, but it's also quite clear: At some point, it won't be possible anymore—also due to age. "It would be great if someone like Sebastian Vettel would take over. 'People can't handle the truth' - Verstappen FUMES after being given five-second penalty and takes swipe at F1 bosses "On the one hand, there's the junior program. He's already working with girls in go-karting in Saudi Arabia. "And the other is the larger, strategic direction of a Formula 1 team. I think Sebastian has found himself and now knows what he wants to do in the future—and that's primarily motorsport." Responding to the rumours, Vettel said: "We're still working out what it could look like. But I don't want to impose myself."
The Independent
24-04-2025
- Automotive
- The Independent
F1 champion Sebastian Vettel praises Lando Norris for ‘self-doubt' courage
Sebastian Vettel has praised Lando Norris for being open and honest about his 'self-doubt' after F1 near-misses in the last year, labelling the McLaren driver 'courageous' for his earnest soundbites. Norris, 25, who lost his championship lead in Saudi Arabia on Sunday after teammate Oscar Piastri claimed his third win in four races, has spoken regularly in a self-critical manner, both during races on team radio and afterwards in the media pen. In contention for last year's drivers' championship up against Max Verstappen, Norris was regularly open with his true emotions and self-doubt. And even this past weekend in Jeddah, Norris called himself a 'f****** idiot' after his crash in qualifying, later standing by his statement, saying 'it makes sense.' Yet four-time F1 world champion Vettel, 37, speaking on the ground in Jeddah, insists Norris should be praised for his attitude in the traditionally macho world of Formula One. "We're all having good times and bad times, whether we are Formula 1 drivers or having a regular job – aren't we all like that?' Vettel told Sky Sports F1. 'We have better days and worse days. The threat now is that people talk about what he's maybe going through, and interpret it as a sign of weakness. Like, 'Why is he doing that? What's going on with him? What's wrong with him?' "Nothing's wrong with him. I think everybody's going through the same things in different phases of your life. Self-doubt is the most natural thing there is, but it's the most unnatural thing to talk about, and that is wrong. "So, I think it's completely fine and I think it's very courageous of him to open up and talk about that side of him. And I wish and I hope that the media picks it up and turns it a little bit around." Norris now trails Piastri by 10 points in the drivers' championship ahead of round six in Miami (2-4 May). Meanwhile, four-time F1 world champion Vettel, who retired from the sport in 2022 after 16 seasons, was in Saudi Arabia last week for his Race4Women event, encouraging young girls to take up go-karting in the Gulf country. The former Red Bull, Ferrari and Aston Maritn driver also said he previously spoke with hero Michael Schumacher about self-doubt, which helped his own career. Vettel added: 'I spoke with Michael, and I was relieved when he told me that he had self-doubt. 'My hero, my champion, the guy that was on my walls throughout my childhood had self-doubt. "It made a lot of pressure go away when I knew that my hero went through the same things. So, I think there's a lot of inspiration to take from it."
The Independent
18-04-2025
- Automotive
- The Independent
How Saudi Arabia has sights set on F1 summit with $480m ‘Rainbow Road' Qiddiya track
Initial glances at the future of Formula One in Saudi Arabia look like something out of another galaxy. In fact, fans online have likened the renderings of Qiddiya Speed Park, due for completion in 2027 at a cost of $480m (£360m), to Rainbow Road in the video game Mario Kart. And with a 70m incline at turn one, nicknamed 'The Blade', it's not actually as outlandish a comparison as it might seem. Yet as the sport returns to Jeddah Corniche Circuit, the world's quickest street track, for round five of the 2025 F1 season this weekend, the future of Saudi investment in the pinnacle of world motorsport looks somewhat limitless. In a recent press call, Saudi Motorsport Company chair Prince Khalid bin Sultan al-Faisal talked in depth about the Qiddiya 'megaproject', currently under construction 30 miles from the capital city of Riyadh. He spoke of Saudi desires to host the first race of the season, even though The Independent understands Australia is the frontrunner to once again stage the season opener in 2026. And he even mooted the prospect of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) buying an F1 team in the future. 'There is a space available,' he said. 'There are only 11 out of 12 [possible teams], and also potentially one or two teams that might be for sale in the future. 'I mean, it could happen.' If Saudi's pursuits in other sports – most prominently, football, boxing and golf – have taught us anything, the mega-rich Gulf country usually sets out to achieve what it strives for, despite a constant background of sportswashing accusations, given the country's poor human rights record. Lewis Hamilton, on the eve of winning the first Saudi race in 2021 while wearing a rainbow helmet, was a vocal critic, insisting he was 'not comfortable' racing in a country where a ban on women driving was only lifted in 2018. Yet another multiple world champion, Sebastian Vettel, was present in Jeddah this week championing his Race4Women event, in which 20 young women competed at a karting track in the city. Saudi are eyeing an uptake in grassroots karting, from a place of near-nothingness a decade ago. It is also noteworthy that the all-women racing series, F1 Academy, is in town this weekend for round two of their 2025 calendar. One thing is clear: Saudi Arabia has now long maintained a relationship with F1 and the sport's owners, Liberty Media. It is a partnership which is not going anywhere. There is a 10-year sponsorship agreement in place with Aramco worth around $450m, which allows the country's petroleum giant to sponsor billboards and barriers throughout the season. Aramco is also a title sponsor for Aston Martin's F1 team. Grand Prix Drivers' Association chair Alex Wurz has a stake in designing the new 21-turn Qiddiya track and, rather comically on a small laptop prior to last year's Jeddah race, gave all 20 drivers a sneak preview of a lap around the futuristic circuit. The holograms for Qiddya are indeed staggering. Yet the current track in Jeddah, an F1 host since 2021 and currently the third longest track on the calendar after Spa and Las Vegas, has raised the obvious prospect of Saudi hosting two races a year. So, could it happen? Rather surprisingly, Prince Khalid was pessimistic, given the calendar's current congestion. 'I don't think with the [24-race] calendar now it's something possible and we haven't actually discussed this idea between us,' he said. 'We would like to host two races. Jeddah and Riyadh are two different regions and two different markets, and Saudi Arabia is a very big market. 'But is it feasible, given the complicated calendar? We know that we have a market in Saudi Arabia, but it's something that we haven't thought about.' Given a swathe of interest from countries such as South Africa, Thailand, Rwanda, Argentina and South Korea in hosting an F1 race, many would argue that another Saudi race should not be top of the sport's priorities. Appropriately, at this stage, it does not seem to be on the mind of F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali. Yet Qiddiya will make waves when it first hosts a Saudi race, whether that be in two years or – as seems more likely – in 2029, when surrounding projects such as a state-of-the-art theme park and glass-bottomed swimming pool are completed. In seeing F1 hosting three races in the United States (Miami, Austin and Vegas), it would be unsurprising if Saudi suddenly lets the money do the talking in an attempt to host two races a year in the near future. On the track, in Jeddah, McLaren have the quickest car, as illustrated by three wins out of four so far this season, and their Australian driver Oscar Piastri is in a terrific run of form, following two grand prix victories in three. Piastri trails teammate and championship leader Lando Norris by three points heading into this weekend, with Red Bull's Max Verstappen – who refused to entertain speculation about his future on Thursday – in third. Hamilton is currently seventh in the standings, 52 points behind Norris already, but is optimistic that an upturn in results is around the corner, especially in an upgraded Ferrari car.
