The Carbon Footprint of Formula One
Formula One motor car racing (F1) may not be the sport that comes to mind when you think of clean or low carbon pastimes. So you might be surprised to learn that in 2019 F1 announced its intention to be Net Zero by 2030. Every team has committed to using 100% sustainable fuel by 2026 and will use hybrid engines that will be 50% electric.
Where do Formula One’s emissions come from?
Formula One’s emissions don’t just come from the cars racing around the track each weekend. They also come from F1’s HQ, the production of the cars, the transportation of the cars and teams around the world for each race, the race organisation and catering, spectator travel to and from races and from television broadcasting too. The list is long.
In 2019, Formula One calculated their carbon emissions to be 256,551 tonnes of CO2e. By 2022, these emissions had reduced to 223,031, split into the following categories (they don’t currently include spectator travel):
The governing body’s emissions
In 2019 the FIA (motorsport’s governing body) had a carbon footprint of 18,910 tonnes of CO2e. This increased to 19,037 tonnes in 2022. They offset an equivalent amount in 2023 to be able to call themselves carbon neutral. The FIA has committed to reducing the emissions of its own operations by 50% by 2030.
The FIA has developed its own environmental accreditation programme which has three tiers (1*, 2* and 3*). Their goal is to encourage stakeholders, clubs, venues, championship organisers, promoters and manufacturing teams to address their environmental impact.
The teams’ carbon footprint
Not all teams are equal when it comes to addressing their carbon footprint (or at least communicating on it).
Merccedes: in pole position ⭐
AMG Petronas top the F1 environmental league table with plans for a 100% reduction in their scope 1 and 2 emissions and a 50% reduction in scope 3 by 2026. By 2030 they are aiming for a 75% reduction in scope 3 emissions and 25% carbon removal. They are also investing in Sustainable Aviation Fuel to reduce the scope 3 emissions of transporting their race team. AMG Petronas holds the FIA’s 3* accreditation for their progress against sustainability metrics.
It’s really positive to see they are assessing our carbon footprint to industry benchmark standards in line with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Guidance and SBTi framework, including full scope 3 emissions reporting. Other teams: take note!
Williams: jump start
The Williams team is favouring a ‘climate positive’ strategy meaning they plan to remove more C02 from the atmosphere than they are producing. This sounds positive but Science-based targets are clear that reduction is more important and necessary than off-setting.
Ferrari: mid-grid
Ferrari (as a whole company) measured and shared their footprint in 2024. Their strategy is aligned with science based targets, and they aim to reduce their Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 90%, and Scope 3 emissions by 40%, by 2030.
Aston Martin & Redbull Racing: the backmarkers
Aston Martin pays lip service to sustainability with a page on its website but manages to say almost nothing. There is no ownership of their carbon footprint or specific plans to reduce emissions.
Redbull has nothing on their website to indicate the actions they are taking to reduce emissions or address sustainability other than an article about offsetting which is pretty disappointing considering the stance the governing body has taken.
Pushing technological boundaries
Formula One has been committing energy and resources to developing new technologies which have benefits far beyond decarbonising their own activities. Creating the world’s most efficient engines is one obvious benefit that trickles down into the automobile industry but other developments can be surprising. For example, the F1 team, Williams, developed a solution they sold to supermarkets that reduces the energy consumption of their fridges through the application of aerodynamic theory.
Sustainable fuels
Another technology being advanced by F1 is fuel that has a smaller carbon footprint (which the industry is calling ‘sustainable fuel’). In 2026 cars will run on this new blend which will come from a combination of carbon capture, municipal waste or non-food biomass. It has a 65% emissions reduction compared to fossil fuel sourcing and production. In theory, this should also be fit for use in regular cars without requiring any engine updates.
Remote Broadcast Operations
F1 has taken a giant leap forward to reduce its television production carbon emissions. By basing a large part of their production team permanently in Kent, UK, they have reduced the number of personnel and amount of equipment that needs to travel around the world to each event by a third. This is an approach which could and should be used by other sports too.
The Formula One schedule
The competition calendar has been criticised for its race schedule which sees teams zigzagging back and forth across the globe from March to November to compete in the 23 events. This Instagram post provides a great visual of the travel involved.
This is the 2023 schedule in the order the events will take place so you can see for yourself:
Bahrain - Australia - Azerbaijan - US (Florida) - Italy - Monaco - Spain - Canada - Austria - UK - Hungary- Belgium - Netherlands - Italy - Singapore - Japan - Qatar - US (Texas) - Mexico - Brazil - US (Nevada) - Abu Dhabi.
The schedule is more circuitous than the Monaco circuit and begs the question: why not group races by continent?
Sponsors
With hindsight Formula One has a pretty chequered history when it comes to sponsors. Pre-2007, the sponsorship was dominated by tobacco brands (remember Marlboro or Lucky Strike plastered across the spoiler of the cars?) These days, with tobacco advertising banned, sponsors are spread across a variety of industries from recruitment (Randstad) to IT hardware (Logitech) to watches (Rolex). One of the main sponsors this year (and until 2027) is Qatar Airways. This doesn’t seem a great fit when the sport is apparently on a mission to decarbonise.
Rolex sponsor Formula 1 racing
A focus on tyres
It’s not just Formula One that is addressing its environmental impact. Tyre manufacturer Pirelli is also racing ahead. They are transitioning to renewable energy and are targeting a 100% switch by 2025. They are working to deliver their products using the most efficient trucks too.
The tyres themselves are made from natural rubber that does not cause deforestation. To test them, Pirelli are relying more and more on computer simulation to conserve resources. At the end of their life, tyres are broken down into chemical components for use in other products or granulated to make playgrounds and athletic tracks.
How can Formula One reduce its emissions?
Well there are lots of opportunities out there and some great examples to copy from (Sail GP and Extreme E being great examples). They could:
aim to reduce fuel amounts required by each racing car
introduce stricter spending caps on the amount teams can spend on new parts
mandate team travel emission caps or budgets
take aerial video footage using drones instead of helicopters (ski racing does this effectively)
host races near where the majority of fans are based to reduce visitor travel emissions
re-use old tracks instead of creating new ones
design the competition calendar for minimal transfer distances
Besides decarbonising their car engines and moving to sustainable fuel (which they are already doing) the biggest opportunity in our eyes is the competition calendar. Streamlining this so teams travel the shortest distances possible between events will dramatically reduce the carbon footprint of the sport.
What would ecollective do?
If we were given the chance to pitch to help F1 decarbonise, we would start by measuring ALL of the associated emissions to the best degree of accuracy we could (including those of all the teams). With this data we would be able to identify the key areas for reduction and set a tough but achievable Net Zero target. We would accompany the target with some focused actions to help them achieve it and build them a tool to help them keep track of their progress.
If you’re interested to find out how your company can decarbonise its operations in this way, drop us a line.
