Professional race car drivers called out over 'hypocritical' use of private jets: 'Why would one person need several planes?'

A Redditor sparked outrage online by posting a video of several Formula One race car drivers arriving at an event by private jet.

The video spurred conversation over the heavily polluting lifestyles of the ultra-wealthy, particularly F1 driver Lance Stroll. It appeared to show Stroll exiting a Bombardier private jet on his way to the Dutch Grand Prix in the Netherlands. 

Stroll is the son of fashion billionaire Lawrence Stroll. Forbes estimated the elder Stroll's net worth at $3.9 billion. 

"Why would one person need several planes?" asked one incredulous Redditor.    

"Why would one person need several cars?" replied another. "Rich people are weird like that." 

The video highlighted the vast gap between the pollution caused by the richest humans on the planet and everybody else. According to Oxfam, it would take someone in the bottom 99% of human wealth roughly 1,500 years to cause as much planet-heating pollution as the richest billionaires do in a single year.

Much of this excess pollution comes from the travel choices of the ultrarich that include private jets and megayachts.

Per passenger, travel by private jet is responsible for 5-14 times as much pollution as flying commercially and 50 times more than travel by train, one study found.

Furthermore, National Geographic reported that some private jets release more heat-trapping pollution in one hour than the average person creates in an entire year.

The individuals who fly by private plane truly are the richest of the rich. An analysis of private-jet travel from 2019 to 2023 found that only about 256,000 people, or 0.003% of all adults in the entire world, used private jets. The combined wealth of these individuals is an incomprehensible $31 trillion. 

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Worse yet, that same study found that nearly half of all private-jet trips were shorter than 500 kilometers (311 miles), distances that can easily be covered by car or train while causing far less pollution. 

Redditors were quick to call out the F1 drivers for flying by private jet. 

"You gotta feel for these guys," one said sarcastically. "Some don't even have their own planes and even have to share. Mechanics go cattle class on a airline." 

"Drivers should get a championship point deduction for each race they arrive with a private jet," suggested another. 

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