Sebastian Vettel says he visited the farm of former F1 driver Pedro Diniz ahead of this weekend's Sao Paulo Grand Prix and took a keen interest in the homestead's environmentally friendly approach to farming.
Diniz, who raced in F1 from 1995 to 2000 with Forti, Ligier, Arrows and Sauber, now oversees his family's farm which he helped develop into one of Brazil's leading producers of organic eggs, dairy and fruit, relying on a green sustainable approach that Diniz hopes will help transform and revolutionize traditional farming methods.
"I was aware of Pedro when he was in F1," said the eco-conscious Vettel who had never met the former F1 driver before.
"But I actually read his name recently not in a motor racing connection, but in what he is trying to do with his farming project.
"I find it a fascinating field ^pun intended!]. There is so much responsibility and connections, doing it in the right way – because there are many wrong ways it’s being done.
"The way the world is going, there’s going to be more and more pressure to do it in the right way."
The Diniz family's farmstead heavily relies on agroforestry, a land-use system in which the cultivation of agricultural crops or livestock is combined with the production of woody crops, usually trees, on the same plot, a method that ensures a more efficient recycling of nutrients and a better protection of ecological systems.
"It’s about putting things back into the soil rather than taking them out, and it was inspiring to see," added the Aston Martin driver.
"Also inspiring to see the careers after F1, off the racing line that gives joy, passion and purpose…. trying to make the world a better place…
"I don’t consider myself a campaigner," said the four-time world champion. But we all have to consider ourselves active otherwise the future is not bright.
"It’s the biggest challenge humanity has ever faced. It’s good if you have a voice to use it, but at the forefront should be the action."
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