The T-shirt said “Stop Mining Tar Sands” and, below a picture of a pipeline, added “Canada’s Climate Crime.”

Vettel was asked about the T-shirt at a news conference, and he described it as a “small gesture,” adding that he’d be wearing a special helmet to raise awareness about the oilsands.

“I think what happens in Alberta is a crime because you chop down a lot of trees and you basically destroy the place just to extract oil, and the manner of doing it with the tarsands, oilsands mining, is horrible for nature,” Vettel said. “There’s so much science around the topic that fossil fuels are going to end, and living in a time that we do now, these things shouldn’t be allowed anymore, and they shouldn’t happen.”

Sonya Savage, Alberta’s Minister of Energy shot back “I have seen a lot of hypocrisy over the years, but this one takes the cake. A race car driver sponsored by Aston Martin, with financing from Saudi Aramco, complaining about the oilsands.”

I have seen a lot of hypocrisy over the years, but this one takes the cake. A race car driver sponsored by Aston Martin, with financing from Saudi Aramco, complaining about the oilsands. 1/3 #ableg https://t.co/8gaMl7JeFj

— Hon. Sonya Savage, KC (@sonyasavage) June 17, 2022