F1 Will Have Sustainable Fuel by 2026 As Part of Carbon Neutral Plan

The sport pledged in 2019 to be net-zero carbon by ’30.

2022 Canadian Grand Prix :: IMAGO / PanoramiC

Formula One is another step closer to being net-zero carbon by 2030, announcing Monday that it will introduce 100% sustainable fuel in ’26 alongside the next-generation hybrid engines. 

The pledge was made in 2019 as part of F1’s sustainability strategy, and the fuel is currently in the development phase. According to its announcement, “Whilst racing fuel represents less than 1% of our emissions, sustainable fuel is the area where F1 can have the greatest effect on the global transportation sector.” 

The fuel will have a drop-in feature to “accelerate adoption and reduce costs for use in existing road cars [both internal combustion engines and hybrids].” To put it simply, this fuel can replace standard fossil fuels in an internal combustion engine. 

Per BBC, just 1% of the world’s cars were hybrid or electric in 2020, something F1 aims to change. 

The announcement comes in wake of Sebastian Vettel continuing to highlight the climate crisis our world faces. Most recently, the Aston Martin driver was seen ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix wearing a shirt that highlighted “Canada’s climate crime,” mining tar sands.

“We live in a time and age where we are so much aware of a lot of things. I think, you know what happens in Alberta is a crime because you chop down a lot of trees, and you basically destroy the place just to extract oil,” he said. “And the manner of doing it with the tar sands, mining oil sands, mining is horrible for nature. And obviously Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions also have gone up since they started doing it.”

He discussed the matter of the global climate crisis on BBC’s Question Time in May and wore a shirt that read “Miami 2060—1st Grand Prix Underwater—Act Now or Swim Later” for the inaugural Grand Prix’s Opening Party.

People, though, have been quick to point out the hypocrisy. Alberta’s minister for energy Sonya Savage didn’t hesitate to respond to Vettel’s comments. She tweeted a thread, starting with, “I have seen a lot of hypocrisy over the years, but this one takes the cake. A race car driver sponsored by Aston Martin, with financing from Saudi Aramco, complaining about the oilsands.

“Saudi Aramco has the largest daily oil production of all companies in the world. It is reputed to be the single largest contributor to global carbon emissions, of any company, since 1965.

“Rather than demonizing the oilsands, which is on a path to net-zero, people could look to lowering their own personal carbon footprint. Perhaps a pedal-car for Formula 1?”