The recent earthquake disaster in Turkey and Syria has elicited outpouring support from all over the world. The death toll continues to rise, making every aid effort critical.
Formula 1, through Stefano Domenicali, expressed its condolences for the victims and many drivers, including Lewis Hamilton, are taking action to ensure necessary supplies reach those in need.
Mercedes became the first team to donate money to help victims of the natural disaster.
However, the absence of any sort of message from Sebastian Vettel, who is known for his sensitivity towards such issues, has not gone down well with fans.
On his recent post on Instagram, Turkish fans criticised him for not speaking out on the disaster.
At the time of writing, the death toll has surpassed 26,000, leading Hamilton to use his platform to raise awareness and urge people to donate to aid organizations.
The earthquakes, which registered as high as 7.8 and 7.5 on the Richter scale, devastated entire cities in Turkey and Syria on February 6. While the world is coming together in solidarity, the silence from Vettel has been met with disappointment from fans.
Vettel recently posted a touching tribute on Instagram for a loved one that passed away, but the comments section was met with mixed reactions.
Many called for him to follow in Hamilton’s footsteps, while others criticised him for not acknowledging the crisis in Turkey and Syria.
Here are some of the responses to Vettel’s post:
“You share 50 stories when it comes to lgbt and bee, shame you didn’t share anything about those who died in the earthquake in turkey you were my idol vettel now i hate you,” one user replied.
“Sebastian, Why don’t you help us ? Learn something from Lewis,” another said.
However, some of the fans believed that Vettel had already supported the cause without publicly informing everyone.
“To all the Turkish people in comment section, people can donate without sharing it on insta too. It’s not a necessity to come and declare your charities on social media,” a fan said.
“To all the people saying “help turkey How do you know he isn’t. He could very well be making donations without posting them online. There are other ways to help rather that just posting it on your Instagram story,” another replied.
With rescue operations still ongoing and many injured, the final death count is only expected to rise.