# Social media: Vettel: "I rather spend my time on something useful." Any Vettel fans here? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [July 1, 2018, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-media-vettel-i-rather-spend-my-time-on-something-useful-any-vettel-fans-here/817116 "2018-07-01T21:26:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wakinyan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wakinyan/32/352_2.png) [@Wakinyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wakinyan)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2018, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-media-vettel-i-rather-spend-my-time-on-something-useful-any-vettel-fans-here/817116/1 "2018-07-01T21:26:14Z")
Amazing F1 race today with unexpected result. I always liked Vettel, great humor and great driver, obviously, but the below quote after the race made him rise even more “in my book”. Building a fan base without using social media is a sign of character these Days – or what do you think? (He’s joking with his partner [Kimi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimi_R%C3%A4ikk%C3%B6nen), a renowed introvert.) From the [post race interview](https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/austrian-gp-post-race-press-conference-1054467/): > [@](#): > > Q: (Peter Vamosi – Racingline.hu) Sebastian, you are the only driver on the internet who has not a social media account, Twitter, Facebook, whatever. Even Kimi has Instagram now this year and he’s doing very well. Why are you not present on the internet? > SV: I rather spend my time on something useful. It’s a shame that I lost Kimi. It was nice to be alongside. I don’t know what happened. I don’t blame anybody, people are free to do what they want. It’s just not my thing, I don’t have the need to share. If there’s anybody who has a question, obviously ask but I don’t find great motivation in telling people where I go, what I do. I find it’s quite boring so yeah, it’s not my thing. Go Ferrari, eh? ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-media-vettel-i-rather-spend-my-time-on-something-useful-any-vettel-fans-here/817116/2 "2018-07-02T01:54:36Z")
Well he’s also right that modern F1 is more like Mario Kart than proper racing. I used to be a huge F1 fan and wouldn’t have missed a race for the world, but around 2004 or so it all started to get too gimmicky with silly rules designed to ‘improve’ the racing for my liking and I fell away from it. Nothing has happened in the mean-time to make me change my mind. I actually think one of the worst things to happen to the sport was the focus on total reliability, it removed one of the exciting elements where you were unsure if a car would make it to the end of the race and also made it feel they were being pushed to the limits of engineering, not so these days. Ummmm…sorry…, Vettel, yes. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-media-vettel-i-rather-spend-my-time-on-something-useful-any-vettel-fans-here/817116/3 "2018-07-02T03:39:54Z")
Well, it’s interesting to note that German fans haven’t embraced him like they did Michael Schumacher. The attendance at the German Grand Prix isn’t very good. Does someone who makes a great living from F1 have a duty to promote it, particularly from a large country such as Germany? ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-media-vettel-i-rather-spend-my-time-on-something-useful-any-vettel-fans-here/817116/4 "2018-07-02T13:12:36Z")
I like the sentiment of that quote from Vettel, but I can’t say I’m a fan. Then again, I’m British, so very biased (though I was a fan of Schumacher, contradictorily, due to being young and impressionable when he first came on the scene - I started with Mansell, then his replacement at Williams, Prost, then Senna, and Schumacher seemed more like Senna’s successor than Hill. Yes, glory-hunting rather, but I was only 8 years old at the time). Basically, as a fan of Hamilton, I feel his driving style falls just to the right side of acceptable aggression (Verstappen too), whereas Vettel’s has too often fallen just to the wrong side. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-media-vettel-i-rather-spend-my-time-on-something-useful-any-vettel-fans-here/817116/5 "2018-07-02T14:19:31Z")
I’m with him. Twitter, Facebook and social media of that ilk has no utility for me at all and, on balance, is a net harm for society. We’d be better off if neither existed. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-media-vettel-i-rather-spend-my-time-on-something-useful-any-vettel-fans-here/817116/6 "2018-07-02T23:01:36Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > I’m with him. Twitter, Facebook and social media of that ilk has no utility for me at all and, on balance, is a net harm for society. We’d be better off if neither existed. I feel the same way about online discussion forums. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2018, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-media-vettel-i-rather-spend-my-time-on-something-useful-any-vettel-fans-here/817116/7 "2018-07-03T04:30:30Z")
Vettel is obviously a legend and he is also of course a human being with free will - but I tend to regard people who willfully swear off social media, as being old-fashioned, and not in a good way. I love Facebook, it’s been invaluable to me in making and keeping connections with people, reaching out to interesting people who I read or hear about, following the bands and public figures that I’m interested in, promoting my own music and art, and have had the opportunity to engage in actual ongoing back and forth communication with some of my own musical heroes - I think it’s absolutely one of the most useful inventions ever. But that’s just my own perspective. While I may be tempted to view someone who eschews social media as “missing out”, the fact is, if they don’t wish to do it, they’re not missing out. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2018, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-media-vettel-i-rather-spend-my-time-on-something-useful-any-vettel-fans-here/817116/8 "2018-07-03T07:23:15Z")
> [@Lamoral](#): > > Vettel is obviously a legend and he is also of course a human being with free will - but I tend to regard people who willfully swear off social media, as being old-fashioned, and not in a good way. I don’t see how “old-fashioned” applies here. My family and I are just very private people. I just don’t need that level of social connection that you seem to need. Before social media of that type existed I was perfectly happy with the ability to connect via email, phone and face to face. That provide as much contact with people as I could ever need. I never felt the need to know what my friends and family were thinking and doing 24/7 and I certainly don’t want anyone knowing what I’m doing. You are right, I’m not missing out but nor am I a luddite by any sensible definition. The benefits that you get from it are fine for you, they don’t appeal in the slightest to me. I’m cannot imagine what it is like to want that degree of connectivity, that just isn’t me but it’s nothing to do with the technology. I am puzzled though as to what you think is “old fashioned” about me and Seb and millions of others like us, and what does “not in a good way” mean? ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2018, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-media-vettel-i-rather-spend-my-time-on-something-useful-any-vettel-fans-here/817116/9 "2018-07-03T10:28:34Z")
I’ve been a fan since his first race at Indy (I was there) and he scored points. Totally agree with him that most of that social media shit is a waste of time. Who gives a fuck what you had for breakfast? If I drove for Scuderia Ferrari, I wouldn’t even own/need a computer. I’d have “people” for that. My ass would be on the track, not the couch. Eh, whatever. From the couch. ---
**Author:** ![Wakinyan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wakinyan/32/352_2.png) [@Wakinyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wakinyan)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2018, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-media-vettel-i-rather-spend-my-time-on-something-useful-any-vettel-fans-here/817116/10 "2018-07-03T17:18:34Z")
> [@Atomic\_Alex](#): > > Well he’s also right that modern F1 is more like Mario Kart than proper racing. /…/ Did he said that? I’m not saying that today’s F1 is better than it used to be, but did he actually say that it was more like Mario Kart than proper racing? 😃 > [@Dead\_Cat](#): > > I like the sentiment of that quote from Vettel, but I can’t say I’m a fan. Then again, I’m British, so very biased /…/ Sorry for snipping there, but since I get most of my F1 info from English sites, I get that Vettel animosity a lot (my first language is not English, if it is not obvious), and I really don’t understand it. Is it because he is a competitor to Hamilton? But to root for Hamilton… isn’t that a bit like rooting for Neymar? 😉 Nothing wrong with it if it is out of loyalty, I guess, but surely Vettel is the more likeable character? (I’m joking a little bit here.) > [@Lamoral](#): > > /…/ I tend to regard people who willfully swear off social media, as being old-fashioned, and not in a good way. I love Facebook, /…/ I think it’s absolutely one of the most useful inventions ever. /…/ Good points, and I agree with the useability. I just think that Vettel’s answer is refreshing: you don’t _have to share_, with the general public, etc. > [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > /…/ I never felt the need to know what my friends and family were thinking and doing 24/7 and I certainly don’t want anyone knowing what I’m doing. So, there’s another good Point which I also agree with. Why I _had to share_ Vettel’s answer was that I found it so refreshing to hear a sports super star say it (a athlete I admire or at least are entertained by no less). ---
**Author:** ![dzeiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@dzeiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzeiger)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2018, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-media-vettel-i-rather-spend-my-time-on-something-useful-any-vettel-fans-here/817116/11 "2018-07-04T02:40:00Z")
> [@Lamoral](#): > > Vettel is obviously a legend and he is also of course a human being with free will - but I tend to regard people who willfully swear off social media, as being old-fashioned, and not in a good way. I love Facebook, it’s been invaluable to me in making and keeping connections with people, reaching out to interesting people who I read or hear about, following the bands and public figures that I’m interested in, promoting my own music and art, and have had the opportunity to engage in actual ongoing back and forth communication with some of my own musical heroes - I think it’s absolutely one of the most useful inventions ever. But that’s just my own perspective. While I may be tempted to view someone who eschews social media as “missing out”, the fact is, if they don’t wish to do it, they’re not missing out. I think, though, there’s a big difference between random people like you and me using social media and celebrities. If Vettel starts posting on Instagram, it will get seen my millions of people, reposted to Reddit and various other sites, everyone will be going to absurd levels trying to invent “meanings” well beyond anything sensible, and there will be hundreds of comments on every post from people gleefully wishing he dies in a gruesome fashion, because he’s not their favorite driver. ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2018, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-media-vettel-i-rather-spend-my-time-on-something-useful-any-vettel-fans-here/817116/12 "2018-07-04T06:00:15Z")
> [@Dead\_Cat](#): > > I like the sentiment of that quote from Vettel, but I can’t say I’m a fan. Then again, I’m British, so very biased (though I was a fan of Schumacher, contradictorily, due to being young and impressionable when he first came on the scene - I started with Mansell, then his replacement at Williams, Prost, then Senna, and Schumacher seemed more like Senna’s successor than Hill. Yes, glory-hunting rather, but I was only 8 years old at the time). Basically, as a fan of Hamilton, I feel his driving style falls just to the right side of acceptable aggression (Verstappen too), whereas Vettel’s has too often fallen just to the wrong side. I could never warm to Hamilton, he is undoubtedly an excellent driver but he also stepped into F1 in one of the top teams. Even Schumacher had to build his reputation up before he got his hands on a top ranked car. When I watched F1 I liked Schumacher and also rooted for Eddie Irvine, I admit I always had a soft spot for Button as well. I don’t think you need to apologise for being a Schumacher fan 🙂 > [@Wakinyan](#): > > Did he said that? I’m not saying that today’s F1 is better than it used to be, but did he actually say that it was more like Mario Kart than proper racing? 😃 Yep, he said it all right: [Sebastian Vettel fears Formula One is turning into Mario Kart | BelfastTelegraph.co.uk](https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/sebastian-vettel-fears-formula-one-is-turning-into-mario-kart-37065354.html) And silly things like DRS are why I no longer watch F1. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2018, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-media-vettel-i-rather-spend-my-time-on-something-useful-any-vettel-fans-here/817116/13 "2018-07-04T08:46:45Z")
> [@Wakinyan](#): > > Sorry for snipping there, but since I get most of my F1 info from English sites, I get that Vettel animosity a lot (my first language is not English, if it is not obvious), and I really don’t understand it. Is it because he is a competitor to Hamilton? But to root for Hamilton… isn’t that a bit like rooting for Neymar? 😉 Nothing wrong with it if it is out of loyalty, I guess, but surely Vettel is the more likeable character? > > (I’m joking a little bit here.). I wouldn’t say I bear him any ill-will in the same way that I might towards, say, Alonso (for his refusal to denounce racism, largely) - it is largely jingoism on my part in supporting Hamilton. I admit he is a hard character to like. But on the track, his driving style when he first came on the scene (admittedly in a top car) was much more exciting than anyone else, not unlike Verstappen is now. So that was enough for me. I also happen to think he is a better driver than Vettel - he has in the past been competitive in a car that while undoubtedly good, was not dominant like Vettel’s Red Bull for all his championships. No doubt Vettel is a great driver, but of the current crop I think Hamilton is overall slightly better. And recently Vettel seems to have resorted to underhand tactics to try and equalise this. In my biased opinion :). ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyMensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@MonkeyMensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMensch)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2018, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-media-vettel-i-rather-spend-my-time-on-something-useful-any-vettel-fans-here/817116/14 "2018-07-04T18:51:28Z")
Veettel will always have a warm place in my heart since the time he answered a post-race interview question AS Kimi: the slow, laconic drawl, almost monotone: it was perfect and Kimi thought it was pretty funny, too. Great stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Wakinyan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wakinyan/32/352_2.png) [@Wakinyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wakinyan)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2018, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-media-vettel-i-rather-spend-my-time-on-something-useful-any-vettel-fans-here/817116/15 "2018-07-04T21:54:28Z")
> [@Atomic\_Alex](#): > > Well [Vettel] also right that modern F1 is more like Mario Kart than proper racing. /…/ > [@Wakinyan](#): > > Did he said that?/…/ > [@Atomic\_Alex](#): > > /…/Yep, he said it all right: [Sebastian Vettel fears Formula One is turning into Mario Kart | BelfastTelegraph.co.uk](https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/sebastian-vettel-fears-formula-one-is-turning-into-mario-kart-37065354.html) Ok, so he _didn’t_ say that “modern F1 \*is \*more like Mario Kart than proper racing”, as is obvious in the article you refer to: “[Sebastian Vettel fears Formula One is turning into Mario Kart](https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/sebastian-vettel-fears-formula-one-is-turning-into-mario-kart-37065354.html)”? So what’s the point of your 1) statement, and 2) source? ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2018, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-media-vettel-i-rather-spend-my-time-on-something-useful-any-vettel-fans-here/817116/16 "2018-07-04T22:10:59Z")
He said that the DRS feature which allows a driver to get a temporary speed boost resembles Mario Kart and makes the race feel artificial. It wasn’t necessarily a comment on all of F1 racing. ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2018, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-media-vettel-i-rather-spend-my-time-on-something-useful-any-vettel-fans-here/817116/17 "2018-07-05T08:00:16Z")
> [@Wakinyan](#): > > Ok, so he _didn’t_ say that “modern F1 \*is \*more like Mario Kart than proper racing”, as is obvious in the article you refer to: “[Sebastian Vettel fears Formula One is turning into Mario Kart](https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/sebastian-vettel-fears-formula-one-is-turning-into-mario-kart-37065354.html)”? So what’s the point of your 1) statement, and 2) source? Being polite costs nothing. ---
**Author:** ![popomomo\_cocoyoyo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3da27b/32.png) [@popomomo\_cocoyoyo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/popomomo_cocoyoyo)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2018, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-media-vettel-i-rather-spend-my-time-on-something-useful-any-vettel-fans-here/817116/18 "2018-07-17T01:22:05Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > Well, it’s interesting to note that German fans haven’t embraced him like they did Michael Schumacher. The attendance at the German Grand Prix isn’t very good. Does someone who makes a great living from F1 have a duty to promote it, particularly from a large country such as Germany? They do promote F1, they participate in a lot of interviews and “sponsor events,” but at the end of day it’s the job of the marketing and PR people hired by F1 and the race organizers to do the promotion and schedule interviews with the drivers. I know other drivers always mention how much more busy they are during their home GP, presumably with interviews and appearances scheduled by the local organizers, not sure if Vettel does that. Then again, a GP shouldn’t be counting just on a local driver to draw the crowd, plenty do well without any local drivers at all: Monaco, Suzuka, Singapore, Montreal, also Monza does well just because of Ferrari, Germany has Mercedes, the best team in F1, and if that’s enough to draw the crowds something else is amiss with the GP. ---
**Author:** ![somepumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@somepumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/somepumpkin)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2018, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-media-vettel-i-rather-spend-my-time-on-something-useful-any-vettel-fans-here/817116/19 "2018-07-17T01:32:54Z")
I’m quite the SB fan. I loved what he did for the Red Bull team, and I’m happy he’s been driving the red cars. And now that I’ve read your post (specifically, his reply to the question posed by Vamosi), i want to have him to have my babies! ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2018, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-media-vettel-i-rather-spend-my-time-on-something-useful-any-vettel-fans-here/817116/20 "2018-07-17T17:07:51Z")
He is exceedingly private. Some people are built like Vettel and relish life and feel happy in seclusion and privacy. His personal life remains far from the track, and I’m cool with that. I’m a Tifosi. Forza Ferrari. .