Sebastian Vettel to star at FOS 2023 | GRR
Sebastian Vettel – the four-time Formula 1 world champion – will return to the Goodwood Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard this year on Saturday and Sunday, making a special appearance following his F1 retirement. He will use his time at Goodwood not just to celebrate his amazing career, but to promote the sustainable future of the sport.
The former Red Bull, Ferrari and Aston Martin driver will star on the Goodwood Hill in multiple cars from his own collection including Nigel Mansell’s championship-winning Williams FW14B and Ayrton Senna’s McLaren MP4/8 from 1993.
Vettel will be at the Festival on both Saturday and Sunday, while all weekend there will be a display of his cars in the main paddocks for all to see. Vettel will also spend time talking to visitors about his work advocating for alternative fuels in the motorsport industry. On both days fans will be able to join us in celebrating Sebastian’s amazing career as we host one of Goodwood’s legendary balcony moments.
This will be Vettel’s second visit to the Goodwood Festival of Speed. His first was in 2012 where he celebrated his second World Championship by driving his title-winning Red Bull RB7 alongside team-mate Mark Webber.
This year’s Festival of Speed is not only celebrating the 30th anniversary of the first event and the theme will be Goodwood 75 as we look back at our three-quarters of a century of motorsport history. Apt then that we can join Sebastian Vettel as he looks back at his amazing F1 career and forward to the future of racing.
Today Vettel remains one of the most prominent voices in motorsport, despite having retired at the end of 2022. Last season he launched an alternative fuels campaign at the British Grand Prix by running his FW14B on e-fuels at Silverstone.
He has followed this up by launching “Race without Trace”, which aims to prove that racing with combustion engines and e-fuels is very much possible for the future of motorsport. This is just one part of a series of sustainable projects Vettel is working on, challenging both the pace at which the motorsport industry moves and the science behind it.
As the Festival of Speed continues to champion the future of mobility and automotive technology, with the expansion of Electric Avenue and a growing number of alternatively fuelled vehicles, we are delighted to support Sebastian Vettel’s wish to only drive cars running on synthetic fuel at the event. At the 2023 Festival of Speed, approximately 20% of the vehicles at the event will run on alternative fuels – whether that’s hydrogen, electric or synthetic.
Ahead of his return to Goodwood for the 2023 Festival of Speed, Sebastian Vettel said: “It's great to be coming back to Goodwood after all these years. I can't wait to get behind the wheel of some of my most memorable cars which will be running on sustainable fuel over the weekend. I’m a passionate racer and it’s important to me that we continue to enjoy driving iconic racing cars today and in the future, but that we do so in a responsible way.”
The Duke of Richmond said: “I have fond memories of Sebastian’s first visit to the Festival of Speed in 2012 and am hugely excited to welcome him back to Goodwood.
“I know our fans will be delighted to have an opportunity to celebrate his incredible career and to see him in action on the Hill. His attitude towards sourcing alternative fuels absolutely aligns with our plans across the event and the wider Estate to ensure we are shining a light on this important topic and protect motorsport for the next generation.”
Sebastian Vettel image courtesy of Motorsport Images.