Switching gears<\/p>\n
In 2020, F1\u2019s governing body, the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), set a deadline for race cars\u2019 engines to run on 100-per-cent sustainable fuels from 2026<\/a> and for the sport to be carbon neutral by 2030.<\/p>\n The transition began in 2023 and 2024, when\u00a0Formula 2 and Formula 3\u00a0(F1\u2019s feeder racing series) started using 55-per-cent \u2018sustainable bio-sourced fuel\u2019, before switching to 100-per-cent \u2018advanced sustainable fuel\u2019 in 2025.<\/p>\n Now, F1 has developed\u00a0its own \u2018sustainable\u2019 fuel for\u00a02026. This fuel has been designed specifically for the hybrid engines in today\u2019s F1 cars, which rely on both an internal combustion engine (ICE) and two electric motor-generators.<\/p>\n F1 says the new fuel won\u2019t add to the overall amount of carbon in the atmosphere. Instead, the carbon used in the new fuel will be extracted from existing sources \u2013 including household waste and non-food biomass \u2013\u00a0or captured as carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere.<\/p>\n This will then be used to make a synthetic fuel \u2013 a man-made fuel designed to do the same job as the fossil fuel-derived petrol used currently. In the long term, the FIA says that F1, 2 and 3 will all eventually adopt <\/a>this \u201cfully synthetic hybrid fuel\u201d.<\/p>\n But it won\u2019t just be for race cars. F1 describes the new fuel as \u2018drop in\u2019, meaning it\u2019ll work not only with existing combustion engines but also fuel distribution networks. In other words, the fuel that will be powering F1 cars in 2026, is the same one that you could soon be pumping into your car at your local petrol station.<\/p>\n Truly sustainable?<\/p>\n The widespread use of the word \u201csustainable\u201d has led experts to scrutinise the claims being made by F1, however. <\/p>\n Dr Paula P\u00e9rez-L\u00f3pez specialises in environmental and social sustainability of products at the MINES ParisTech Centre for Observation, Impacts, Energy (O.I.E). <\/p>\n She explains that for a product to fulfil the definition of \u201csustainable\u201d, it must meet specific environmental, social and economic criteria and consider these aspects in every part of its supply chain.<\/p>\n \u201cThe term \u2018sustainable\u2019 is definitely not the same as \u2018low-carbon\u2019. A product or process may be low-carbon while having high emissions of other pollutants, thus being \u2018unsustainable\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n The FIA appointed the Zemo Partnership<\/a>, a UK-based non-profit, to develop the Sustainable Racing Fuel Assurance Scheme (SRFAS)<\/a>. This is a third-party scheme to certify the use of sustainable racing fuel, ensuring it meets the FIA\u2019s regulatory standards. <\/p>\n This requires the fuel to “be made from a minimum of 99-per-cent advanced sustainable components (ASC) certified to have been derived from a renewable source of non-biological origin (RFNBO)<\/a>, municipal waste, or non-food biomass.” <\/p>\n In layman’s terms, this means the new fuel must be either synthetic, made from waste products, or derived from materials not intended for human or animal consumption, such as specially developed algae.<\/p>\n The new fuel must also meet qualities put forward by EU Renewable Energy Directive III <\/a>(RED III) and the EU Delegated Act.<\/p>\n Fraser Browning, founder of Kurb Carbon<\/a>, a company that advises businesses on how to minimise their climate impact, says that, if managed responsibly, the new fuel will deliver a genuine decarbonisation initiative.<\/p>\n \u201cThe bigger question is around F1\u2019s overall impact,\u201d he says. \u201cWhy has F1 decided to take this route into synthetic fuels? Because it\u2019s a fundamental part of its sustainability journey? Or is it just a box-ticking exercise?\u201d<\/p>\n Browning points out that innovation in motorsports has previously led to great leaps forward in sustainable motoring as a whole. In 2020, for example, Mercedes announced that its hybrid technology<\/a> for F1 cars would be adapted into its road cars. Earlier this year, the German car maker also unveiled a new battery that could extend the range of its electric road cars by 25 per cent.<\/p>\n \u201cI believe that we wouldn\u2019t have hybrid vehicles in the form and as quickly as we do today if it hadn’t been for input from sporting innovation,\u201d he says. \u201cBut it has to be done in a transparent and responsible way.\u201d<\/p>\n Cutting carbon<\/p>\n Beyond the switch to synthetic fuels, F1 has also made efforts to reduce its carbon emissions in other areas. Travel and logistics make up two-thirds of F1\u2019s carbon footprint, with teams, heavy mechanical kit and fans travelling vast distances between races each year.<\/p>\n According to F1\u2019s latest Impact Report, in 2024, changes were made to the F1 calendar to reduce the freight distance between events. For example, the Japanese Grand Prix was rearranged to take place in April, grouping it with other Asia-Pacific races.<\/p>\n F1 also expanded the use of biofuel in the trucks used to transport its freight across Europe. Changes like these led to a nine-per-cent reduction in carbon emissions in the logistics side of F1.<\/p>\n By the end of 2024, total carbon emissions were reduced by 26 per cent compared to the 2018 baseline, but F1 admits that it has \u201cmajor milestones to achieve, including further investment in alternative fuels across our operations and updating our logistics network to maximise efficiency.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Synthetic fuels vs electric vehicles<\/p>\n What about the claims that F1\u2019s new synthetic fuel will be a drop-in, which could be used for everyday driving in our current cars? Could it offer a more sustainable alternative than electric vehicles (EVs)?<\/p>\n Critics say that the manufacturing of synthetic fuels\u00a0for\u00a0internal combustion engines (ICE) is energy-intensive and expensive, potentially requiring five times more renewable electricity than running a battery-powered electric vehicle<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Formula](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/JPG-RGB-72-DPI-SD_2025_Japan_Formula-1-Image_018-1.jpg\")
A photo taken of the Japanese Grand Prix, which was switched from taking place in Autumn to Spring to help reduce the carbon emissions spent moving equipment between races (Source: Formula 1) – Formula 1<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/JPG-RGB-72-DPI-DHL-biofuel-powered-trucks.jpg\")
Formula 1 announced that DHL\u2019s new fleet of trucks running on biofuel reduced carbon emissions by an average of 83 per cent compared to fuel-driven trucks during the European leg of the 2023 season (Source: Formula 1) – Formula 1<\/p>\n