Sebastian Vettel’s 2023 Goodwood FoS runs will be powered by e-fuels

Sebastian Vettel will make only his second ever appearance at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July, and the F1 retiree will be taking on the hill climb in cars from his own personal collection.

And this being a four-time world champion, that collection is quite impressive: Nigel Mansell’s championship winning Williams FW14B from 1992 and Ayrton Senna’s McLaren MP4/8 of ‘93 are just two of ‘a number of cars’ Seb will pilot up the 1.16-mile course.

In recent years Vettel has become increasingly outspoken on environmental issues, and as such there’s a green twist to all of this: each of Vettel’s runs will be powered exclusively by synthetic, sustainable fuels, so his presence at Goodwood should be entirely carbon neutral.

“It's great to be coming back to Goodwood after all these years,” said Vettel. “I can't wait to get behind the wheel of some of my most memorable cars which will be running on sustainable fuel over the weekend.

“I’m a passionate racer and it’s important to me that we continue to enjoy driving iconic racing cars today and in the future, but that we do so in a responsible way.”

The 35-year-old will also get his own ‘balcony moment’ at Goodwood, so he’ll get the chance to wave to an adoring crowd from Goodwood House. A bit like King Charles III then, but on a smaller scale. And with no crown (probably).

“I am enormously excited to welcome Sebastian back to Goodwood this summer,” said the Duke of Richmond. “I know our fans will be delighted to have an opportunity to celebrate his incredible career and to see him in action on the Hill.

“His attitude towards sourcing alternative fuels absolutely aligns with our plans across the event and the wider Estate to ensure we are shining a light on this important topic and protect motorsport for the next generation.”

This year’s Festival of Speed runs from Thursday 13 to Sunday 16 July, although Vettel will only be appearing over the weekend. Apparently tickets are either sold out entirely or in very short supply, so you’ll need to get in quick if you’re going this year.