Formula One accelerates towards sustainability goals

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The teams on the Formula One grid compete 23 times a year. But sport, as a whole, is in a one-time ride: be zero net carbon emissions by 2030.

Of all the work being done to achieve this, the vast majority is aimed at reducing the 10 teams’ factory outings, as well as staff, public and cargo travel to race locations around the world. These were estimated in 2018 at 256,551 tons of CO₂.

Four years later, the sport is reaping those numbers. For example, Mercedes has reduced emissions from racing trucks in Europe by around 90% in 2022, using biofuels and investing in sustainable aviation fuel, among other programs. There are six years to go before the goal, when an audit will reveal whether the goal has been achieved.

But, despite all these advances, for millions of F1 fans – and its critics – the most visible part of the drive towards sustainability will be what happens with the racing cars on the track. Although they account for less than 1% of all F1 emissions, they are the most visible element of the sport and the most relevant to the industry at large. Imagine the F1 lens developing 100% sustainable high performance engines that power the fastest cars in the world and let technology transform into everyday motoring.

F1 and its governing body, the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile, have agreed that this could be achieved from 2026 onwards through powertrains that are a 50-50 combination of a small-displacement internal combustion engine with a hybrid system. electricity, each capable of generating 350kW of energy. This is a significantly higher percentage of electricity than current hybrid engines. And they will run on zero-emission e-fuels. F1 will use its massive global platform to showcase these fuels, which will in due course be available at retail pumps around the world.

“It’s the same reality for all of us, to stay relevant as a team and relevant as a sport,” says Toto Wolff, CEO of the Mercedes F1 team. “Sustainability must be all-encompassing. Our technologies must be used for the good of the world. The plan is to make an efficient but high-performance fuel available at pumping stations, not a few liters of rocket fuel for F1 engines.”

At first glance, this goes against the direction of travel. Governments are pushing for the abolition of internal combustion engines in new vehicles, some by 2030. But Wolff says technology developed in F1 should fill the gap as the volume of electric vehicles on the road and the infrastructure to recharge them reach critical mass.

“The world is moving towards electric mobility and there is no doubt about that. We will soon see all of us traveling electric in an urban environment in affluent cities. Which will eventually expand around the world. But, in between, there is probably a 20-year transition period, during which cars will still be powered by combustion engines. Our calculation is that, by 2035, there will be one and a half billion pure combustion engines worldwide. If we can participate in that energy transition by providing hybrid technology and fuel technology for this huge mass market, that is beneficial.”

Formula 1 Chief Technical Officer Pat Symonds says: “The advanced sustainable fuel for 2026 has been deliberately designed to be ‘drop-in’, meaning it can be used in a standard road car. Using the our platform to accelerate the development of advanced sustainable fuels, demonstrating their effectiveness and that production can be done at scale, we believe we can have an impact far beyond our paddock, in terms of decarbonisation”.

The FIA ​​published the regulations for the 2026 engines last August. The goal was to encourage the entry of new manufacturers by making power units cheaper to design and build. At the same time, they leveled the playing field by streamlining current engines so new entrants could be competitive from 2026 onwards. This was achieved by removing the complex heat recovery units currently in use. It has lured one of Mercedes’ main auto rivals Audi to enter 2026. It has also led Honda to reverse an earlier decision to withdraw. And it brought back Ford, a longtime F1 competitor from the 1960s to the 2000s, who will put his blue oval badge on Red Bull Powertrainsbuilt in Milton Keynes, which powers the defending champion team.

If Ford is taking the F1-lite approach, Audi is going all in; buying the Swiss-based Sauber team, rebranding it as Audi and making its own engine.

“The key to getting involved in the world’s most famous racing series is the clear plan to become more sustainable and cost-efficient,” explains Oliver Hoffmann, technical director of Audi AG.

“Formula 1 has set itself the goal of being emission-free as a racing series by 2030. I see an ideal solution with Audi. Formula 1 is both a global stage for our brand and a highly challenging development laboratory. The combination of high performance and competition is always an engine of innovation and technology transfer in our industry.

“With the new regulations starting in 2026, now is the time for us to get involved.”