Vettel drives his Mansell Williams FW14B at British GP with green fuel

F1
- Last updated: July 4th 2022

Sebastian Vettel gave fans a deafening display in Nigel Mansell's 1992 British Grand Prix-winning Williams FW14B ahead of the race at Silverstone on Sunday

Sebastian Vettel at the 2022 British Grand Prix driving the Mansell race winning Williams FW14B

Vettel said that the 1992 British GP-winning Williams was faster in some of Silverston's corners than his modern Aston Martin

Florent Gooden / DPPI

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Sebastian Vettel might have rolled back the years by demonstrating his 1992 championship-winning Williams of Nigel Mansell at Silverstone this weekend, but he did so responsibly: powered by a carbon-neutral fuel.

Vettel bought the iconic FW14B two years ago and he drove it for the first time on Sunday ahead of the British Grand Prix, thirty years since Mansell won the race in the very same car.

In front of 142,000 spectators in packed grandstands, the FW14B’s screaming Renault V10 echoed around Silverstone as it did in the era of Mansell-mania.

Sebastian Vettel and Nigel MAnsell drive the Williams FW14B at SIlverstone

Vettel at Silverstone in 2022 (left) and Mansell in the same car at the 1992 British GP

The moustachioed world champion was in attendance, watching from the pitwall and embracing Vettel when he came to a halt on the startline and stepped out of the car.

Vettel, who was also celebrating his 35th birthday, lifted off his Mansell tribute helmet to reveal a big grin.

“It felt like time travel,” he said. “I got to feel how Nigel must have felt a little bit 30 years ago. I think these cars are incredible. The sound inside is incredible… A perfect birthday present.”

Sebastian Vettel in Mansell Williams FW14B before the 2022 British Grand Prix

Vettel thanked the waving fans as he turned the clock back to 1992

Clive Mason/Getty Images

Sebastian Vettel in helmet with Nigel Mansell design outlines

Vettel incorporated Mansell's famous Union Jack livery and signature on his tribute helmet

Clive Rose/Getty Images

Sebastian Vettel with Nigel Mansell and Williams FW14B at Silverstone

When 1992 meets 2022: Mansell and Vettel with the FW14B

Dan Mullan/F1 via Getty Images

At a pre-race press conference before the run, Vettel revealed how the idea came about and why the car holds a sentimental value to him.

“It was my idea,” he said. “The red five [on the nose] is the car from ’92 and that means a bit more than just the car itself.

“I won my first championship with [a] red five [on the 2010 Red Bull], I was number five throughout karting and I’m number five now – so there’s a link there.

“The early ’90s are kind of my first memories of Formula 1 and it was my idea [because it’s] exactly 30 years after he won the championship, but it also won the British GP 30 years ago.”

In a video for Sky Sports, he added: “I was thinking, ‘Put it on display 30 years after Nigel won’. It’s the exact same car.”

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Vettel is an aficionado of racing history, but has also been vocal over the need to cut CO2 emissions and tackle climate change.

He combined the two passions on Sunday by running the Williams on carbon-neutral fuel, which is thought to be created synthetically by combining carbon and hydrogen using renewable energy.

Vettel’s blue Mansell-esque overalls include the familiar black strip across the chest, but Williams’ 1992 sponsor Labatt’s is replaced with the “Race without trace” slogan.

“We have to do it in a responsible way,” he added. “So we’re using carbon neutral fuels to demonstrate that we can still hang on to our history and culture in motorsport.

“It’s no different to how the car was thirty years ago, it will sound exactly the same and it will drive the same way.

“I am expecting to have a lot of fun and I hope people can share that because I think it’s an incredible car, the history and the way it sounds.”

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