Sebastian Vettel has completed the ‘Business of Entertainment, Media, and Sports’ course at the prestigious Harvard Business School, furthering his career away from the racetrack. The legendary four-time world champion has led an active personal life since stepping away from F1 in 2022. The 37-year-old posed with his certificate in hand, confirming the impressive achievement. However, this came at a cost.
The four-day course set the former Red Bull and Ferrari F1 star back £9,400 ($12,750), requiring 12 to 15 hours of the German’s time on the HBS campus. This diploma isn’t Vettel’s only venture back into the education system. Earlier this year, he revealed that he was heading back to school to gain expertise in the agricultural field. “I am actually going to school,” he told German outlet RTL. “I am doing an apprenticeship in agriculture.”
Asked whether this meant he was pursuing a new career in farming, he replied: “Not quite. It is basically a condensed form of it. After that, I can run my own business. This area fascinates me. I find it extremely exciting when it comes to the future of agriculture.”
The course was undertaken at the BBZ Pfaeffikon centre in Switzerland, and according to a report from Sport1, Vettel took his first round of written exams in December 2024, with oral exams carried out in April and May to complete the course.
His passion for farming developed during the COVID-19 pandemic. “During the first lockdown, I had a lot of time, so I thought about what interested me,” he explained in 2021. “I came up with the idea of going to an organic farm because of nutrition.
“The question of what you have to eat to eat healthier. I started asking myself questions about how I could squeeze more performance out of my body. Then I took the chance to just stick my nose in.”
Vettel’s drive for education has been a consistent theme throughout his thirties. During the closing stages of his time on the F1 grid, the four-time world champion found his voice and started to use his platform to educate fans on matters of equality and environmental change.
He has since developed on these passions, starting an annual karting event in Saudi Arabia to promote the inclusion of women in motorsport, and organising the implementation of bee hives at the Suzuka Circuit, promoting the importance of biodiversity.