Formula 1 chief reveals progress on achieving key sustainability goal

F1 sustainability

F1 chief reveals progress on achieving key sustainability goal

F1 chief offers an update as the sport strives to reach its sustainability goals

Oli Lawrie

Monday 27 March 2023 11:40

Formula 1 is confident that it can lead the way in 'making technology sustainable across all applications’ as the sport strives to realise its sustainable fuel future.

F1 have provided sustainability targets for its future.

Set to be introduced for the 2026 power unit regulation changes, one of those targets is that all fuel used by F1 cars will be 100 per cent sustainably sourced by 2026.

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Speaking to press after the Bahrain Grand Prix, F1’s chief technology officer Pat Symonds explained the importance of ensuring all the fuel’s elements come from sustainable sources.

“Hydrogen-carbon is really the basis of it. And it’s this that we use to synthesise a sustainable fuel,” he explained.

“Now, where you get the hydrogen from is reasonably obvious: electrolysis of water. It’s a well-known method of doing it, you apply electricity through water.

"If the electricity has come from renewable sources, [it] is actually a green hydrogen.”

But the use of green hydrogen isn’t the only avenue F1 is considering to achieve their sustainability goals.

They are also looking at harnessing the power of nature to achieve their targets.

“Nature is great at taking CO₂ out of the air, splitting out the carbon and releasing the oxygen."

Sebastian Vettel has been a vocal supporter of F1 becoming more sustainable

"We need to sort of synthesise that process. And we can do that using plants, using algae, direct air capture, which is a very emerging technology [but it’s] quite a difficult thing to do at scale."

Can Formula 1 lead the way on sustainability?

Beyond F1 achieving their own targets, Symonds noted the role the sport can play in defining a new generation of technology.

In making the technology needed to boost sustainability across all applications "F1 is going to start to contribute to the art and the science of what we can do," believes Symonds.

Speaking on the sport's sustainability goals, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said: “We are committed to making Formula 1 more sustainable."

"We remain focused on these very important objectives and have continued to make strong progress in 2022."