There is certainly no driver quite like Sebastian Vettel, in terms of his driving style and most importantly, his personality.
The four-time World Champion’s retirement was an extremely sad one for the world of Formula 1, with Vettel’s long-term press officer Britta Roeske believing that the sport “should miss” the 35-year-old.
Vettel has never been a driver to do what he’s told off-circuit, with Roeske admitting that the German wasn’t a “typical ‘PR driver'”, with the 53-time Grand Prix winner having become a fan favourite for sharing his personal opinions.
Over the last few years, Vettel has become well-known for supporting several campaigns and communities, with the former Aston Martin driver having raised awareness of the likes of the LGBTQ community and environmental change.
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He was regularly seen wearing a decorative helmet or specially designed clothing in support of something, to give a voice on the biggest stage in the world to things that needed it.
Vettel wasn’t afraid to speak out against the sport or the FIA, with the driver having played a crucial role in ensuring that the sport plays its part in raising awareness of diversity and inclusion.
The FIA’s latest move to ban drivers from making political statements is seemingly something that’ll disappoint Vettel, especially given how much time he’s given to putting the sport in a better light.
He certainly wasn’t a traditional driver, one who says and does what they are told.
Vettel showed his “real character” time and time again and was an inspiration to drivers across the world, with him having always said “what he really thought”.
“I think personally, I think he was good for the Formula 1, because he was not a typical ‘PR driver’,” Roeske told F1.com.
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“If a PR person wanted to tell him something, what he should say, it’s not really him. He always wanted to do his own. He wanted to say what he really thought.
“So it’s difficult for PR people to convince him to say something different sometimes. So this is what I liked with him, but I think that is also important for F1 because that is showing his real character, and not a different character.
“So therefore, I think Formula 1 should miss him because I mean, it gave a bit of a challenge to some of us,” she joked.