Sustainability in motorsports

Motorsports are arguably one of the most polluting sports. They harm the environment in a lot of ways: noise pollution and the littering of fans at venues, to name a few. But there is one thing that has always accompanied any motorsport race was, of course, fuel to run the vehicles and, therefore, lots and lots of CO2. Yet, many all-electric series, such as Formula E and MotoE, are challenging this stigma.

Formula E is a single-seater championship specifically made for electric cars. Conceived in 2011 and started in 2014, it was one of the first measures towards the “electrification of the automobile industry, reducing carbon-dioxide emissions and introducing hybrid and electric systems”, as said by Antonio Tajani, an Italian politician and member of the European Parliament. The FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile) made the series an FIA World Championship in 2020, which put it alongside Formula One, the only other single-seater series with this status. Given the circumstances; Formula E has served as an illustration of the slowly but surely changing mindset of sustainability in a sport built on the opposite.

Moreover, Formula One is already hybrid, and it has been since 2014. Further changes are also coming along, such as the switch to E10 fuel, which is a blend of 90% fossil fuel and 10% ethanol, in 2022. These are just a few of the steps towards F1's goal of being Net Zero Carbon by 2030. Among numerous other changes, there will be a new power unit coming in 2025, and the championship wants that engine to be powered by 100% sustainable fuel. Formula One is already discussing creating substantial quantities needed of this fuel for the championship and, following that, scaling up production for broader social use. This fuel would be a so-called "drop-in fuel", meaning that it can be "dropped into" any ordinary internal combustion engine without any modifications. The plan is for the laboratory-created fuel to use components from a carbon capture scheme, municipal waste, or non-food biomass, lowering the championship's greenhouse gas emissions by at least 65%.

Some series also make sure that the tracks themselves are as sustainable as possible. For example, Mugello Circuit in Italy uses 100% renewable energy, produces 25% of its annual energy on-site. Furthermore, the circuit uses LEDs for the lighting outside and has a rainwater recovery system used to operate restrooms and irrigation. Circuit de Catalunya in Spain also gets 100% of its energy from renewable sources. It has investigated sustainable initiatives, such as lessening food waste. New initiatives arrived in the 2021 Formula 1 calendar as well, like plastic cup exchanges and sustainability contests. The Dutch Grand Prix also invested significant effort to become the most sustainable race on the Formula One calendar. Making the track inaccessible by car, they encouraged visitors to opt for other, cleaner means of transportation such as bicycles, trains, buses, and other public transport.

Since even a decade ago, motorsports have been attempting and slowly succeeding in being more sustainable to show people that there is still so much we can do for a greener planet and inspiring change. But admittedly, there is still a long, long way to go.