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via Reuters

via Reuters

The Netflix series Drive To Survive played a crucial role in spreading the F1 fervor to different parts of the world. As a result, the F1 fan base is bigger than ever. Social media has really boosted the connection of the fans with the sport as it provides behind-the-scenes coverage for the F1 nerds. However, until now, fans barely got a peek into the off-track life of Sebastian Vettel.

The German racing driver debuted in 2007 and has been part of the grid for 15 years now. He won the drivers’ world championship 4 years in a row, from 2010 to 2013. He has a massive fanbase and was the sole driver on the grid without a social media presence.

The platforms have evolved enterprisingly to connect let players connect with fans while securing lucrative brand deals, and F1 drivers have seen their numbers rise in parallel to the sport’s boost in popularity. Vettel has kick-started his journey on social media with Instagram and  F1 Twitter can’t contain its emotions.

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Why did Sebastian Vettel avoid social media?

Today, the face of Red Bull racing is the defending world champion Max Verstappen. The Dutchman rules on every can of the aerated beverage and on the socials of the team. Rewind the clock about 10 years and it was Sebastian Vettel who ruled the Austrian racing stable.

Frequently, Verstappen has criticized the Netflix show because of the misrepresentation of facts. Similarly, Vettel had this viewpoint for living a life on the internet and felt it cannot capture the essence of the truth.

He said “The platforms do exactly the opposite of what they claim. They do not show the real picture. If you have millions of followers, then no photo goes out uncensored. Like you think you know people from the television. It’s a self-expression stage that makes money. The user does not really learn anything. It falls into the category of entertainment.”

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“I have no need to communicate. Why should I tell people where I am right now? I do not want to criticize anyone who does it. Everyone has the freedom to do what they want, but I’m not part of this race.”

Nevertheless, the anti-social media days are behind him now. It would be amazing to see the reaction of the veteran over trends like ‘Liked By Pierre Gasly‘ or ‘George Russell is the type of guy’, while getting an insight over the mind of the F1 superstar. Have you followed the German yet? If not, here is his Instagram.

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