Alberta Energy Minister Sonya Savage rebuked Sebastian Vettel on Twitter yesterday, saying, “I have seen a lot of hypocrisy over the years, but this is the crowning glory.” A racer sponsored by Aston Martin with financial backing from Saudi Aramco complained that the oil sands were going too far.

The man from Heppenheim wore a T-shirt with the inscription “Stop tar sand mining” on Friday. Below is a picture of a pipeline and a one-liner: “Canada’s Climate Crimes.” At Friday’s press conference, Vettel also announced that he wants to set an example with his helmet. What particularly struck the minister: green Aston Martin team kit with giant Aramco lettering, mind you.

Passion versus environmental protection: Vettel’s conflict of interest

According to Greenpeace, tar sand mining, extracting oil from a mixture of clay and sand, is even more harmful to the environment than traditional oil mining. Large areas of primitive forest are cleared, among other things, to reach the oil sands layer at a depth of about 30 m. The situation is similar in the Canadian province of Alberta. Vettel accused Canada of climate crimes and warned to think about future generations. Alberta Energy Minister Savage immediately referred to Aston Martin’s title sponsor Aramco in his criticism on Twitter.

Saudi Aramco is a giant oil company and one of the biggest contributors to climate change, accounting for 4% of global carbon emissions. In addition to its partnership with Aston Martin, Aramco is one of Formula 1’s main sponsors.

The minister defended tar sand mining in Alberta, saying everyone should take better care of their own ecological footprint. Finally, he offered Vettel another piece of advice: “Pedal bike for Formula 1 perhaps?”

Vettel. Not the first allegation of hypocrisy for

In the British talk show “Question Time” on the BBC television channel, the four-time Formula 1 world champion was also addressed by the presenter on this topic a few weeks ago. Wouldn’t he be a hypocrite to draw attention to environmental issues and at the same time drive in Formula 1, “probably the most fossil sport in the world”? At the time, Vettel replied that racing was his huge passion, but he also questioned his job every day. “Should we really be doing this to travel the world and waste resources?”