F1 Explained: What do F1 cars use for fuel and how much does it cost?

Petronas fuel of Mercedes — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 Explained

F1 Explained: What do F1 cars use for fuel and how much does it cost?

F1 cars have gone through plenty of fuelling changes throughout the sport's history

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Saturday 22 March 2025 08:56

Globally recognised for having the best drivers in the world, Formula 1 is truly the pinnacle of motorsport.

Characterised by cutting-edge technology, engineering, and innovation, F1 cars are some of the most advanced machinery in the world, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in terms of speed, aerodynamics, and performance.

In modern-day F1, all of the above comes with greater sustainability in mind, too. For example, in 2014, the turbo-hybrid era began, with the sport introducing a new generation of power units designed to be more fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly.

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These power units combine a traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) with an energy recovery system (ERS). The ERS includes two motor generator units - kinetic (MGU-K) and heat (MGU-H), which harvest energy from braking and heat, respectively.

In 2026, a bigger jump towards sustainability will be taken as new regulations sweep the sport.

Of course, with an ICE still involved, fuel is very much still in use in F1. But, what fuel? And how much does it cost to fill the tank of an F1 car for a race?

The fuel used in F1 cars has changed dramatically over the sport's history

What fuel do F1 cars use?

Fuel used in F1 is heavily regulated and the technical regulations state that the substance used in cars must be 'petrol as this term is generally understood'.

The regulations are deliberately worded in this manner to ensure that the fuel that goes into F1 cars is not massively different from that used by the public in their road cars.

For example, whilst there is a slight difference, F1 fuel has to be formulated from compounds that are found in commercial fuels and cannot contain any chemical compounds that boost power in any way.

Currently, F1 says that they use E10 fuel - consisting of 90 per cent gasoline and 10 per cent renewable ethanol. However, there are big ambitions in the sport to develop a 100 per cent sustainable fuel by 2030, with the new iteration of hybrid power units being ready for that change.

That ambition is a big part of F1's push towards being net zero by 2030 as part of a wider sustainability goal.

How much does an F1 fuel tank cost?

Given that refuelling in F1 has been banned since 2010, teams must now fuel their cars for the length of the race before sending them out onto the grid on race day.

Prior to this rule change, teams would typically refuel during a pit stop, but in 1994, everyone's biggest fear happened to Benetton driver Jos Verstappen- yes, father of the now four-time champion Max Verstappen.

Verstappen had pulled in for a pit stop at the 1994 German Grand Prix with 31 laps to go, but as his pit crew attempted to fill up his Benetton machinery, fuel spurted out of the filler hose all over the driver and his car, sending them both up in flames instantaneously.

Fortunately, the Dutch driver was pulled from the car, and the roaring fire was put out hastily, although Verstappen and four of his mechanics did suffer minor burns.

For safety reasons, the types of fuel tanks used in F1 are heavily regulated and have been for quite some time. Since 1970, regulations have mandated the use of 'fuel bladders' for example, as opposed to rigid tanks.

Nowadays, F1 fuel tanks are described as 'almost indestructible' and are made from Kevlar and polyurethane. In theory, this means that in the event of a crash, fuel should not leak, and the threat of a fire is limited.

Staggeringly, these 'tanks' cost a reported £22,000 ($30,000). However, when a car crashes and fuel does not leak, that is no doubt money well spent.

How much does it cost to fill up an F1 car with fuel?

Modern-day F1 fuel tanks carry up to 110 kilograms (kg) of fuel at one time.

Now, you might be wondering why that measurement is in kg and not litres, but according to one F1 team, whilst litres are used for shipping, once the fuel arrives in the garage, kg is the preferred method of measurement. This is because the volume of fuel will change according to temperature, whereas the mass will not.

This means how many litres fit into an F1 fuel tank varies, although the estimates are somewhere between 130L and 145L.

To add more confusion, whilst F1 tanks can hold 110 kg of fuel, F1 teams will rarely fill them, preferring to under-fuel and deal with the consequences later.

Whilst this means that their drivers will have to do more lifting and coasting throughout the race, unless there is a safety car (SC) or virtual safety car (VSC), it does make their machinery lighter than it might otherwise be, bringing benefits in terms of speed and tyre wear.

GPFans contacted all 10 F1 teams on the 2025 grid to inquire about the precise cost of refuelling an F1 ‘tank’, but the exact price is confidential and no team was willing to reveal any specific figures.

However, a spokesperson for Mercedes did declare that the price is: "significantly higher than pump fuel, given the level of refinement involved in F1 fuel."

For argument's sake here, however, we are going to assume teams do fill up to 110 kg. Naturally, fuel prices vary a lot, but using the current E10 fuel prices (139.6p) as a guideline, if F1 cars were filled with 130 litres of fuel, this would cost £181.48.

At the top end of the litres range at 145 litres in the tank, this would cost £202.42 to fill the tank.

On a comparative level, to fuel a regular road car with petrol, it would cost £180 to £200, but for F1 cars, the refinement of the fuel used and the technology to do so likely means the cost would far exceed that figure.

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Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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