Sebastian Vettel Says F1 Will Have A Challenge Surviving In A World With COVID19 

Ferrari's outgoing driver Sebastian Vettel believes that Formula 1 as a sport will have a challenge surviving over the next decade. "It's a question of what the world is going to be in 10 years? So I think it's very difficult for that to look at Formula 1 only. I think, from my point of view, Formula 1 has a huge mountain to climb in order to still exist and still, you know, attract the fans and share emotions and passion," he said to Motorsport.com. The four-time world champion referred to the ongoing COVID19 pandemic which has dramatically transformed the world. "The world is changing, the world is changing very fast. And I think Formula 1 has to more than adapt," he said. 

The pandemic has put the entire F1 calendar in jeopardy. 
Photo Credit: AFP

More so, he believed that the incoming regulation changes in 2022 will not be enough to adapt to the changing world. "I know that obviously there's the regulation change coming [in 2022]. But I doubt that it will be enough. I think in the bigger picture Formula 1 has to do more than just change the regulations. We all hope that the regulation change for the sport will bring the teams closer together and will make the competition on track closer," he said. 

Vettel is heading into his last Italian GP as a Ferrari driver. The German is expected to have a difficult weekend due to the performance deficit his Ferrari car has in straight lines. Monza, which is dubbed "the temple of speed", is known to be the fastest Formula 1 track on the calendar and has long straight line passages through the forest area in the Italian countryside. 

The track at Monza in Italy is dubbed the temple of speed and is one the oldest tracks on the calendar. 

Vettel said that his goodbyes to the Italian fans who are dubbed the "tifosi" will be easier as the track wouldn't have any fans thanks to the bio-bubble measures that Liberty Media has taken to ensure the running of the races. "I think it is the first time for many of us and, in this regard, maybe it's a bit easier for me. I think one of the most overwhelming things in the past racing for Ferrari has been the fanbase around the world, but mostly the fanbase in Italy and the tifosi," he revealed. 

Charles Leclerc won the Italian GP in 2019 with the Ferrari coming home with a victory. Vettel had an embarrassing spin last year. Since then due to a technical directive, all Ferrari powered cars have witnessed a massive drop in straight-line speed. This drop is expected to rear its ugly head in a repeat encore of what happened at Spa-Francorchamps last weekend.