Sebastian Vettel was overwhelmed after his F1 Imola GP run for Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger in their honour and memory.
It could be seen in the eyes of Vettel certainly as to how much the F1 Imola GP weekend meant to him, right from Thursday when he held a run to Senna’s statue in rainy conditions with F1, F2 and F3 drivers alongside team personnel, media, officials, and more.
He was spotted visiting to drivers and teams ahead of the run to give away merchandise and probably invite them as well. His emotions ran high on Thursday with a speech and also on Sunday when he drove the McLaren MP4/8 of Senna.
He not only had the Brazilian flag for Senna in his hands but also Ratzenberger’s Austrian flag as he waved proudly in front of the fans. It was done in honour of the two drivers who lost their lives 30 years ago at Imola during the San Marino GP.
Vettel expanded on the need of celebrating the lives of Senna and Ratzenberger and showing the current generation the legacy of the F1 drivers who lost their lives doing what they loved the most and what they did off-track as well which can be inspirational.
Overwhelming –
Vettel: “Yeah, definitely. I don’t know. It’s difficult to put in words, I think it was one of the strongest emotions I felt behind the wheel despite being alone on track and not even racing. But it was incredible. When I got the flags out, the people… it was so powerful. We had a very strong and emotional moment on Thursday when we ran the track and another one today. It’s overwhelming and I’m happy that I had the courage to address my idea and come forward and invite the Senna family on the idea. And I only got positive feedback and it seemed like the right thing to do. Ayrton is a driver that will be remembered, but we need to make sure we actively do so. And especially that weekend as well, Roland lost his life — two drivers who are sort of colleagues of mine but I never had the chance to meet them. It means so much more than just racing.”
Importance of remembering –
Vettel: “I think it is very important. Firstly, to understand the risk that drivers were prepared to take at that time, losing their lives doing something they loved, but more so if you look at Ayrton and his story, sure he has been very successful doing championships and races and some incredible stats that stand to this day, but more so for me is also the incredible compassion and courage he had to speak his mind. The strong will to speak up, develop and look after things in his country. Pushing education, trying to fight poverty… In many ways he was ahead of the game as a person of that time, but also as a racing driver in particular. Therefore, I think it’s very important and powerful story to share especially with young drivers coming up, or drivers that don’t remember or weren’t born at the time and will take over in the future in another two, three, five or ten years to be inspired by those stories.”
Waving the flags, support from Brazil –
Vettel: “Obviously the Brazilian flag was clear because it was something he used to do after the races, but I know the same story [about the Austrian flag]. I was thinking about whether it was the right thing to do to finish the job, but I don’t think it will ever be finished and it’s not about finishing. But to try to make people remember, it felt very special when I got both flags out. It was a very special and very meaningful weekend for me, sharing that with people in the grandstands because there were a lot of Brazilian flags out there as well. I haven’t been in Brazil since my announcement, obviously he has been the power that inspired a lot of people till today including drivers.
“I remember the moment when I was sitting on the couch with my father and I remember in the living room, he was very-very sad which you don’t understand because you don’t see your father be so sad. Powerful and to sort of close…not close but to go through that again today, I had images in my head of them driving around, shouting their names and I can only image what it would mean in Brazil because he stands for so much more. And that’s the powerful story of Ayrton in terms of…making sure that outside of people of Brazil choose to remember that and take that inspiration because it is powerful.”
Using F1 to send a message –
Vettel: “I completely agree and that’s why it is so powerful to showcase and to show to especially the young kids and the young generation to not just enjoy your driving, drive to perfection but also recognise that you can inspire, you can do a lot of good. That’s something maybe I personally realise a little bit too late, I wish that the generation to follow realise sooner.”
Here’s video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5ST1OPDyDA
Here’s Sebastian Vettel undertaking a special run for Ayrton Senna
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