Sebastian Vettel says Formula 1 must not rush to get back racing again despite describing the absence as ‘painful’.
The four-time world champion admitted that while he is eager to resume racing this season, the well-being of F1 personnel is top priority.
Vettel spoke from his home on Switzerland via video conference regarding the situation:
“It is painful because I want to get back in the car. If I’m selfish I want to race, but you know there’s a lot of people that would like a lot of things right now, with the situation that they’re in now.
“I think probably the very beginning, the first couple of races, will be a bit compromised compared to what we’re used to. But hopefully [it is] not too much because obviously we want to race in a way that we are all familiar with: meaning in front of crowds, in front of fans, with great atmosphere and so on.”
A director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA), Vettel says a number of issues have been discussed regarding F1’s return. As well as the responsibility the sport has to those who work in it.
“We have spoken about that quite a fair amount inside the GPDA. I think it’s a very, very difficult one.
“You know it’s a tough decision. I think, on the one hand, you have obviously the health of the sport if you look at it from a business aspect.
“But on the other hand you have the responsibility over people in the paddock, the working people inside the paddock. And, of course, most importantly the fans.
“We have a lot of people that normally come to watch our races, and yeah, we need to make sure that, as much as we’re taking care of ourselves, we also are taking care of the public.
“There’s a lot of options at the moment you can think of in terms of talks to get going again. What’s the best format to start racing again? Whether it’s, you know, without fans, whether it’s with fans, or ghost or no ghost races and others?
“I think what we would all like is to get back to normal, but not just for F1’s sake, I think for everybody’s sake in the whole world.
“But I think the best medicine or the best prescription will be to be patient.”
Source: Motorsport.com