![]() ![]() “Engineers of an F1 team are very selfish, they don’t waste an ounce of energy on anything other than making the car go faster. We now have the climate race and we have to find solutions at the same speed. “The vaccine race was impressive, suddenly we had a vaccine in a very short space of time. “With the white-hot technology competition in F1 we will probably get there quicker than any other environment I can think of,” he says. “Cutting-edge fuel technology may help clean up the remaining vehicles on the road, but government policy should be focused on making walking, cycling and public transport the safest and most convenient choice for most daily journeys, and on making freight more efficient and moving more of it by rail.”į1 cannot change government policy but Brawn believes the sport can deliver a short-term, immediate alternative to petrol for cars on the road. ![]() “It doesn’t matter how cars are powered, they still contribute to road danger, congestion and health-harming pm2.5 particle pollution from tyre wear. “While Formula One is actually right that electric vehicles are not the main solution to cutting transport carbon and we do need to explore alternative fuels, especially for HGVs, this technology should not be an excuse for business as usual,” said the Green party’s spokesperson Caroline Russell. The move was welcomed with caution by the Green party, albeit while noting that fundamental change is needed in the attitude toward transport. The fuel will be a drop-in, meaning it can work in standard engines with no conversion. The fuel F1 is proposing, and toward which the teams will be building their engines, is targeting that very damaging 92%. Equally, BloombergNEF research estimates their take-up will be only 8% of the 1.4bn cars globally by 2030. Electric cars require power – much of which is still derived from fossil-fuelled power stations. ![]() The march to electrification is welcomed by Brawn but he notes that there is no single magic bullet to solve the climate emergency. It would be very rewarding for F1 to demonstrate the technology we can take forward to contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gases Ross Brawn In fact, F1 says only 0.7% of the carbon emissions from an entire season come from the cars themselves but for the sport the broader implications are what matter. A fuel that emits zero carbon on use, made from either a bio-component that comes from a biological source that does not compete with either food production or land use or one that uses carbon captured and removed directly from the air. By the time new engine regulations are introduced in 2025 only 100% fully sustainable fuel is to be used. From next season F1 will introduce the use of 10% sustainable fuel. ![]() Yet it is the near future the sport believes presents the greatest promise. Today’s formula one cars have 52% thermal efficiency, a figure believed to be almost unachievable and 20% greater than road cars. However, F1 says it is at least taking measures and Brawn believes it is developing new technology where the sport can really make a difference. Photograph: Dan Istitene/Formula 1/Getty ImagesĪ fair point that is reflected in widespread frustration at many of the results of the recent Glasgow Cop26 conference. ‘It would be very rewarding for F1 to demonstrate the technology we can take forward to contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gases’ says Ross Brawn. Until there is a point where it is the No 1 priority for governments and for the world, then it’s going to continue to be a slow-burner.” “These large corporations that have a lot of money and power behind them and can definitely make change happen quicker but it’s not their No 1 priority. “F1 is only implementing it in 10 years’ time and I don’t fully understand why that doesn’t change sooner,” he said. Such efforts are not happening quickly enough for some, with the world champion Lewis Hamilton questioning why major industries, governments and indeed sports were not acting more radically. As with all major sporting events this can be reduced but not eliminated and F1 has committed to offset it with tree planting and carbon capture technology. The report stated that 45% of the carbon is from air, sea and road transport required logistically to put on each race and a further 27.7% from the transport of personnel, promoters and partners. The sport published an extensive report into its environmental impact, including revealing its 256,000 tons of CO 2 emissions each season. In 2019 F1 committed to being net carbon zero by 2030. That is not only about the excitement on track but showing that F1 can make a difference in society. “We have a mantra: an F1 fan should be proud of being an F1 fan. ![]()
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