Formula 1: F1 in 10 Years – Lando Norris and Stefano Domenicali on global sustainability issue
What is the purpose of F1, aside from thrilling racing and politics (often drama driven by the world’s biggest companies)? progress…
“F1 is much more advanced than people think,” said McLaren’s Lando Norris, whose team won the constructors’ title this year. “Part of it is innovation in every sense of the word – in terms of technology, efficiency and environmental impact – that’s what F1 is. It’s not just a reward for our drivers and for people around the world.
“But it would be nice if we could explain more about this.”
In that sense, Norris is right. The turbocharged 1.6-liter V6 hybrid engine used by F1 since 2014 has achieved a thermal efficiency level of approximately 52%, higher than any other engine in the world.
Norris said: “These cars are the most efficient cars in the world by a wide margin because it’s a track car so everyone thinks: ‘Wow… this is too bad for the world’.”
“But without it, in a sense, all the cars that people drive around the world would also be much less efficient … and it would be worse for the world.
“But everything around F1 is unsustainable and needs to change, and it’s going around the world and all these types of things (that is) are basically much worse than me driving this car every weekend.”
A key difference between F1 and other sports is the complexity of travel and logistics, and this is where F1 needs to lead.
2026, New regulations will be introduced, These include 100% sustainable fuels that can be used in existing engines of road vehicles.
But how can a fuel be 100% sustainable? There must still be carbon emissions in the exhaust pipe, right?
“Traditional fuels come from fossil fuel sources, and when fossil fuel is extracted from the ground, the carbon is released, and when it is burned in an internal combustion engine, the carbon is released again. Advanced sustainable fuels change that equation,” Jones said.
“Sustainable fuels are made from second-generation biofuels or e-fuels – capturing carbon by collecting non-food or waste materials to create fuel. This carbon is then released again through an internal combustion engine.”
Paolo Aversa, professor of strategy at King’s College London, has strong links with motorsport and understands how Formula 1 works.
“This move is positive, but there are some criticisms,” he said. “Fuel is just one of the different aspects. Some have criticized such a move as potentially being a way to extend the life of traditional internal combustion engines, rather than promoting a full shift to electric or hydrogen.
“One of the biggest criticisms in particular is, how scalable is this move… How much does it cost to produce at scale? We know that Formula 1 companies are very good at developing prototype technology.
“So it remains to be proven whether this can be implemented as a standard drop-in fuel without requiring any modifications to existing cars and be sold globally.
“There are also some concerns about true carbon neutrality and possible indirect land use impacts.”
