United by passion: Sebastian Vettel joins discussion on diversity and inclusion in F1
Aston Martin F1 driver Sebastian Vettel joined colleagues, fans and even Olympians for an open discussion on diversity and inclusion in Formula One and beyond.
No matter who you are, our team and our sport are open to all – we are united by our passion for racing. And we're using the British Grand Prix as a platform to share this message with the world.
All in. All welcome. All celebrated.
Ahead of our home race, we brought together industry voices, AMF1 leadership and Formula One fans, to discuss what it means to be 'United by Passion'. The aim of the event was to open a discourse about the importance of diversity and inclusion in Formula One, and sport more broadly, and how critical that message is for fans around the world.
United by Passion
Sebastian Vettel joins a roundtable discussion on diversity and inclusion in F1.
The discussion was hosted by AMF1 Chief Communications Officer Matt Bishop, who was joined by Sebastian Vettel and AMF1 Head of Brand Strategy Kate Dalton. They were also joined by Olympian canoeist Adam Burgess, F1 fan and TikTok content creator Jamna Wanza, and Martin Hibbert, who was left with a T10 spinal injury after the Manchester Arena attack in 2017.
"To imagine that in 2022, people are still suffering with negative comments is horrible," said Sebastian.
"As a sport, we welcome anybody who wishes to join us on our journey. We have a responsibility to reach out."
We all need to be loved and feel valued.
"In any sport you want to feel part of the family," added Martin. "At the moment we have doors open, but we don't always have the facilities to support people with disabilities – in sport or wider society. F1 can be a real leader in this journey."
"In professional sport, you're instantly a role model," said Adam.
"More and more athletes are becoming a voice and raising awareness. My idols are the likes of Tom Daley and Marcus Rashford because of what they're doing with their platform to drive positive change.
"It's something I'm looking to do with the platform I have."
AMF1 – and Sebastian – fan Jamna commented, "It makes me sad that there are still negative comments towards fans who are women and people of colour.
"I started creating content on TikTok to share my passion and hear other people's stories. I want to see people who look like me in the sport that I love."
In any sport, you want to feel part of the family.
Sebastian concluded the thought-provoking discussion by adding: "Children are our future. We are telling them stories, but we need to change the tone of these stories to make sure they are driving a positive message.
"We all need to be loved and feel valued."
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