At the recent Formula 1 engine summit in Bahrain, major stakeholders reaffirmed their commitment to the 2026 engine regulations – 1.6-litre V6 turbo hybrid engines, split 50/50 between electric power and the combustion of sustainable fuels, halving the fuel requirement per race.

The hybrid arrangement with sustainable fuels are a key part of F1’s sustainability strategy and a huge draw-in factor for manufacturers such as Audi and Mercedes.

🏎️ What is F1’s Net Zero Target?

Net-Zero Carbon by 2030 as part of a wider Sustainability Strategy. Targets include improvements in operating efficiencies, uptake of renewable energy and a deliberate restructure of fuel regulations for a broad exploration of sustainable fuels.

🏎️ What are F1’s Carbon Hotspots?

Travel and logistics regarding teams and their fans account for around 2/3rd of F1’s footprint, with the emissions from the cars making up only 1%.

🏎️ What is a Sustainable Fuel?

Sustainable fuels are made using renewable resources or wastes using low-carbon energy and have lower greenhouse gas emissions than traditional fuels.

🏎️ Where is the Fuel Coming From?

The key providers of sustainable fuels to F1 are:

1. Petronas (HVO100) for trucks – Hydrotreated Vegetable Oils from waste animal feedstocks, waste cooking oil or from virgin sources.

2. Aramco (Advanced Sustainable Fuel) for racing – an ‘e-fuel’ which is synthesized carbon-negatively using non-food carbon sources such as air-capture and household waste using renewable energy.

3. Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) for DHL and Qatar Airways planes through DHL’s GoGreen Service using waste-based fats refined by oil giants such as Saffaire Sky Energy, a subsidiary of Cosmo Energy in Japan.

🏎️ What are the issues with Sustainable Fuels?

Most sustainable fuels depend entirely on where raw materials come from and how it is manufactured to demonstrate a whole-life saving or neutrality. HVO, for example relies on the availability of waste feedstocks and fats, whereas e-fuels rely on clean energy as well as waste.

The demand for these fuels has outpaced production of wastes in key areas. Long/opaque supply chains mean it is difficult to establish where the waste is coming from, making it the chances of deforestation, land use change, habitat loss and poor working conditions such as modern slavery more likely. Quantifying this impact is vital to proceed responsibly.

🏎️ Why is this intervention important?

F1 has consistently been positioned at the frontlines of innovation, going beyond the two-dimensional on-field action seen in traditional sports. It has been responsible for many technologies seen in the world today: battery technology, automotive aerodynamics, regenerative braking and the hybrid powertrain, for example.

An investment in truly sustainable fuel in motorsport and aviation by a sporting entity that is as big as F1 will drastically accelerate the evolution of the technology and its adoption around the world.