Vettel 'surprised' by F1 ditching pre-race take a knee ritual

Sebastian Vettel admitted to being "surprised" by Formula 1's decision to scrap its pre-race gesture moment for the upcoming season that will deprive drivers of a spotlight opportunity to take a knee.

The sport's pre-race ceremonial was established in 2020 as part of F1's efforts to promote a message of diversity and to help fight racial injustice.

Last year, the pre-race ritual shifted towards F1's 'WeRaceAsOne' initiative but many drivers, led by seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and Vettel, continued to take a knee during the moment.

But F1 now wishes to move on from "gestures to actions" as expressed by Grand Prix racing's CEO Stefano Domenicali , and there will no longer be a unity moment at the head of the grid before each race.

Vettel lamented F1's decision to drop the formality, insisting the drivers were not consulted on the matter, although all teams were recently informed by FOM of the change.

"No, they just changed. I was a bit surprised," Vettel said during Aston Martin's presentation on Thursday of its 2022 car.

"I think the issues that we're tackling are not going to be gone within two years. And therefore I was a bit surprised.

• Read also: Vettel expecting 2022 to be 'true test' for Aston Martin

"I hope that as drivers we find a way to get together and find a slot of still expressing topics that are important to us.

"Probably not all the drivers care. But I think there's some that really do care. And it will be great to get together.

"But probably it was getting a bit too strong and too individual for the business side of things."

Vettel hasn't hesitated in the past to take a stand against diversity or discriminatory issues on race weekends, having done so last summer by wearing a rainbow t-shirt on the grid in Hungary, a country whose anti-LGBTQ+ actions have sparked widespread criticism from the international community.

While there will be no pre-race observance this season, F1 will continue to broadcast on its world feed the 'WeRaceAsOne' video before each race, with trackside branding supporting the movement also remaining prominent this season.

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter