Formula One is taking the initiative when it comes to going green and has announced that it plans to have a net-zero carbon footprint by 2030, as well as ensuring all events are sustainable by 2025.
The world’s pinnacle of motorsport has identified the shift towards reducing the overall carbon footprint, to which everyday activity contributes to globally – and has outlined their intention to completely nullify Formula One’s impact on the environment.
This means carbon neutrality across the board, including having renewably powered facilities and factories for the teams – as well as devising more efficient travel to and from race meetings and logistics. Given that the dinosaur that is the Boeing 747 is still the main vessel for transporting all Formula One cargo, this is big.
Events will see waste recycled or composted and the use of sustainable materials, which eliminates the use of single-use plastics. Fans are also said to be encouraged to be offered more environmentally friendly methods to travel to races.
Why this is such a momentous announcement for Formula One, is that as the pinnacle of global motorsport there is a mantle of responsibility for adapting to the world’s needs. The sport has done plenty when it comes to the innovation of automotive technology in it’s 60-plus year history.
While it is the on-track development of the high-tech, bespoke race cars that usually are the forefront of Formula One’s innovations, the sport in every facet now could offer its insight into becoming carbon neutral.
After all, under the current formula, the racing component of Formula One itself only contributes to 0.7 per cent of the sport’s entire carbon footprint, thanks mostly to the ultra-efficient hybrid power-units used – with internal combustion engines operating at 50 per cent thermal efficiency.
Combined with the most complexly developed sustainable fuels; the cars themselves are the greenest on the planet.
Instead Formula One is looking at the bigger picture, which is something that as a sport would not have been the case six years ago when the all-electric Formula E was introduced upon the world. Even the shift to hybrid technology wasn’t something that F1 was promoting as much as it is now under the sport’s new owners.
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc of Monaco steers his car during the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
So much so, that other categories such as IndyCar have already announced that they’ll be switching to hybrid power in 2022 and the Supercars championship in Australia is investigating hybrid for their next major change in regulations.
Previously, the World Endurance Championship brought forward hybrid technology into top-flight motorsport with the successful programmes of manufacturers such as Audi, Porsche and Toyota.
The bigger picture is encouraging all to consider their carbon footprint and see whether change can be made there to reduce the negative impact on the environment. Motorsport and Formula One often can be perceived by those on the outside, as being bad for the environment as it is burning fossil fuels for no better purpose than sport.
Though Formula One’s fast development of its own hybrid power-unit and now ambitious plan to produce a zero-emission combustion engine with sustainable fuels, should be positively promoted and taken on board by those previously critiquing the sport.
It is also up to rusted on motorsport fans to also accept that going green is the future direction for racing. Formula One is the pinnacle and with them paving the path towards being net-zero carbon – it won’t be long before other categories also embrace this philosophy.
Again, going green will not affect the racing. That comes down to how each category frames its regulations and for Formula One, the new framework being introduced in 2021 is poised to deliver ground-effect based cars which conceptually will be better for overtaking.
This is ultimately the reality that even in our bubbles of sport need to accept and Formula One should be applauded for taking this key step towards a more sustainable future for all sharing this world.
bazza200
Guest
F1 is about being at the cutting edge of motor sport. That cutting edge is shifting and thus they are shifting with it. In Aus Rav4 hybrid and other hybrid are becoming the preferred cars. Hence why they have some hybrid power in them cause that is about driving the technology change to get more out of less which is what F1 is all about being the best and most technology advanced machines on the planet. Hybrids will be the main cars sold along with electric in 2030 by 2025 they will be taking up more and more of thet market. The sustainability of the factories using renewables is because that is the cheapest new form of power sources so will make economic sense. Although i do wonder if they would ever look to Green hydrogen as a fuel when that is more developed ? Not sure how that would fit into an F1 car though.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
I don't think it is about pandering to certain people at all. It is about identifying that there is a much larger problem we face, that is beyond the sport and F1 as an entity has put up its hand to see if it can make a difference for the better.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
All good Josh, thanks for your input. Yeah, this is a matter that goes above the sport and concerns the greater world - and for a sport/business such as F1 to make this sort of announcement that this is their intention - it's quite a significant step towards encouraging other businesses/sporting organisations to due their own due diligence. In regards to what is happening here in Australia, I've flown up to Sydney for the weekend from from a dusty, pollen ridden Melbourne and immediately was greeted at Sydney airport by smog and inhaled smoke from the fires happening up north. Anything natural about this or acceptable? Didn't think so. Organisations or individuals who wield power to influence change need to step up and address matters such as this and F1 it looks like is putting its hand up to work towards a positive future for all living things.
Joshua Kerr
Roar Guru
Hi Jawad, I promised you I'd write a comment and here it is, better late than never! F1 needed to at least make some form of pledge to become carbon neutral. The world is currently in a climate emergency as we have seen in recent weeks with the bushfires in Queensland and New South Wales. As you point out, the racing itself is quite green, greener than most people imagine but it is the associated carbon footprint with getting the cars, drivers, media and even fans to the race. You're going to struggle to make a carbon neutral journey from Europe to Australia! But good on Formula 1 for trying and it will be interesting to see how the sport manages to achieve this goal. One thing it could definitely do to reduce its carbon footprint is maintain, or reduce, the current number of races - more races = more carbon footprint. All in all, this is a key example of how F1 has finally dragged itself into the present day under new leadership and I, for one, think the sport has changed for the better and long may it continue. People who don't like it need to have a reality check: we cannot keep on living like we have done in the past. It's time to get real, folks - this is serious.
Ad-O
Guest
Pandering to people that aren't even interested in your product is a curious business model if you ask me.