Vettel offsets own CO2 emissions: 'I take the car home on Sunday'

Sebastian Vettel is retired and says his carbon footprint as an F1 driver is one of the reasons for his decision to quit motorsport. The four-time world champion says he has made every effort in recent years to offset his own carbon emissions as much as possible.

This year in particular, Vettel came out fully in favour of his new message. The German was spending almost every weekend spreading his message, which is all about saving the climate. Vettel did not shy away from taking action and denouncing issues at play in the host country where racing was taking place that weekend. Speaking to the French L'Equipe Vettel said the lifestyle he lived because of his participation in F1 was part of his decision to quit.

Vettel: "With the life of an F1 driver, you cannot be completely green. You go all over the world all year and leave a terrible carbon footprint. It is not the reason [that I stop], but it's obviously one of them. That's why for several years I've been trying to do what I can to offset the damage I do." Vettel says he likes to use his fame to do so and has also made the necessary adjustments in his own life.

One example of what Vettel has been working on is proving that F1 cars can run on bio-fuel. He did so with Nigel Mansell's Williams, with which the Briton became champion in 1992. Vettel: "Yes, I wanted to prove that it is not impossible. It took me a long time to find people capable of adapting the engine in that way, but I succeeded." Vettel also reveals another striking fact: "Apart from Hungary and England, [in Europe] I take the car home on Sunday night after a race weekend."