THE NUCLEUS Issue 2 Spring 2024

B Y C ONO R WA R E

SUSTAINABILITY IN FORMULA ONE T F he complex logistics of the sport is an area which allows for significant alteration and improvement to cut down on F1’s global footprint. F1’s engineering teams are at the forefront of new, important designs such as ‘flexible’ shipping containers to unlock more economic fuel transportation using trains and sea freight as opposed to air transport. Testing in other sectors is also undergoing, with recent experimental changes to qualifying sessions permitting fewer tyres to be supplied to each team per race, totalling several thousand fewer tyres needing to be transported worldwide per season.

ormula One is known worldwide as one of the fastest, most dangerous and most watched sports in the world, attracting over 400 million viewers a year. Over 20 events are held annually, spanning across four continents, with hundreds of thousands attending every race. Furthermore, these figures are only growing as it is one of the fastest growing sports in the world. However, this all comes at a significant cost to the environment. An independent report in 2019 found that the high-octane sport generated 256 thousand tonnes of CO2 emissions in that season alone. In response to this, an ambitious plan has been created to become net zero by 2030. Two race tracks have already achieved this goal, using solar panels to generate the electricity required to entirely offset the grand prix at the Circuit de Paul Ricard in France and the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Canada. Furthermore, two other circuits have made significant steps towards being powered by 100% sustainable energy. In addition, initiatives are being taken to further promote the use of environmentally friendly methods of travelling to these events as well.

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nother key area of development comes from regulatory changes surrounding the fuel used. With 110kg of fuel used by each driver per race, not including other sessions such as practice and qualifying, it is vital to ensure this fuel is as sustainable as possible. The current hybrid engine system is currently the most efficient engine in the world, when compared to any other non-electric road car in production. It uses a breakthrough E-10 fuel, comprising of 90% fuel and 10% renewable ethanol. However, from 2026 more changes will be made to even further perfect the engine. The engines will run on 100% sustainable fuels, often referred to as e-fuels. Carbon capture is used during the production process of the fuel, with it producing 96% less emissions than standard fossil fuels.

Whilst cutting F1’s annual emissions of 256 thousand may seem significant, it pales in comparison to the 37 billion total global CO2 emissions per year. However, the true benefit of these changes does not come through the sport alone. For decades Formula One has massively influenced the transport sector, with key inventions such as active suspension, Kinetic energy recovery systems and hybrid engines all originating from the sport. The new e-fuel is being designed in such a way that it could be implemented immediately into 2 billion cars currently in use all across the world, showing it is possible for these advancements to be scaled up to revolutionise environmental stability on a much larger scale. F1 owner, Stefano Domenicali, has stated that he wishes for the sport to take a “leadership and pioneering role for the good of society” in regards to creating a sustainable and environmentally friendly future.

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