As Formula 1 promises to become Net Zero by 2030, it is important to scrutinise whether its operations, logistics, partnerships and technological innovations are truly going green. Formula 1’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions ignores key factors including its ever-expanding race schedule, its carbon offsetting practices and its partnerships with fossil fuel companies.

Net Zero means that the balance between carbon emissions produced are balanced with the amount being removed from the atmosphere. This can be done through a combination of emission reduction and emission removal. In Formula 1, going Net Zero includes measures such as developing and using 100% sustainable fuel for the cars, reducing cargo and crew that travel to each race and transitioning to renewable energy in F1 offices. 

F1 outlines its goals and progress to become Net Zero by 2030 (photo via @F1 on X)

The F1 Impact Report released in April outlines the progress that the sport has made since 2018 by analysing data from the year 2022 – an important year because it was the first time the sport returned to a full calendar since the pandemic. In 2022, the sport generated 223,031 CO2 equivalent tonnes, a decrease of 13% from 2018.

The cars on the tracks are responsible for just 0.7% of the sport’s emissions. Behind the glamorous facade of roaring engines lies a complex network of logistics crucial for the smooth operation of the sport. A whopping 49% of the sport’s carbon emissions come from these logistics. Business travel comprises 29% of those emissions while the rest comes from the factories, facilities and event operations.

Understanding F1 Logistics

The mammoth task of transporting teams, equipment, and infrastructure across the globe make up the core of Formula 1. Larger teams transport about 100 personnel and 50 tons of cargo to each race. Within Europe, non-essential equipment is transported by road. For races outside Europe, known as fly-aways, any cargo deemed non-critical is shipped in containers. Each team has at least five sets of cargo which set off in January before the season begins. 

Shipping is considered a more sustainable option than flying but critical equipment is flown with the race teams. Teams cannot begin to unpack and set up until cargo for all teams have arrived – this is to ensure fairness and not give any one team an advantage.

Autosport reports, “New parts can be flown out actually during the race weekend itself as it is not unusual to have a team member flown out from the factory with a vital part stashed in their hand luggage even as late as on the Saturday.”

Each weekend’s orchestration is meticulous as teams build entire headquarters and paddock garages equipped with everything needed for the race. The headquarters consist of meeting rooms, equipment for teams to track the data of the races, catering and more. For example, Red Bull has a three-storey, 13,000 square-feet office built at every single race.

As soon as a race ends, everything is packed up and back on the road within eight hours. The race car is broken down completely and sent on to the next race if it’s a double or triple header, otherwise sent back to the factory for checks and repairs. 

Autosport also reports that road transport has double or triple crew so that they can travel continuously without breaks. This is crucial, and delays can have a real impact. Haas missed pre-season testing in 2022 after their plan was grounded due to technical issues. The car has to be built in time for the race or testing but when the cargo arrived 48 hours later than originally scheduled, the team was unable to get the car ready in time. 

Partnership with DHL

Formula 1 partners with DHL to move their teams around the globe. The association was initiated by Bernie Ecclestone, the former chief executive of the Formula 1 group and the 20-year partnership has just been extended under Liberty Media. DHL works with Formula 1 to develop new methods and systems to improve sustainability. 

F1’s logistics partner, DHL, adds biofuel-powered trucks to its fleet (Photo via @FleetTransport on X)

“We are committed to a greener future. We are proud to introduce 18 trucks powered by biofuel,” says Paul Fowler, Head of Motorsport Logistics at DHL. “This is an HVO100 hydrotreated vegetable oil, a generation two fuel, which means it doesn’t compete with food production, as per the European directives. 

The new trucks are also equipped to monitor fuel consumption and to use more efficient routes. The load capacity and travel distance remain the same as the diesel trucks but reduce carbon emissions. F1 reports that this “resulted in an average reduction of logistics related emissions by 83%, and this year the fleet will more than double in size to 37 trucks. DHL has also switched to using more fuel-efficient Boeing 777 planes that reduce carbon emissions by 17% in comparison to traditional aircraft.” 

Formula 1 reports that, in 2026, it will introduce 100% ‘drop-in’ sustainable fuel, “The 100% sustainable fuel will be carbon neutral, meaning the same amount of carbon used to produce that fuel will be the same quantity as the carbon emitted from the engine.” ‘Drop-in’ fuel means that the same fuel is designed to be used in road cars without any modifications.

The Carbon Conundrum

The F1 Impact Report states that Formula 1 focused on three key areas of logistics last year – “reducing the amount of kit and people that travel, changing the mode of travel [and] reducing the distance travelled.”

This year the calendar has been redesigned to make the races more regionalised. The cargo can therefore go from Australia to Japan and China, to reduce global travel. The irony is that while Formula 1 boasts of all this progress, they continue to add more races to the calendar to a record-breaking 24 races this season.

F1 has reduced its logistics’ carbon emissions by 83% (Photo via @F1 on X)

F1’s head of sustainability, Ellen Jones has said, “”Our focus is achieving a minimum of 50% reduction in emissions, with any unavoidable emissions then addressed with offsetting,” Carbon offsetting means compensating for emissions by investing in environmental projects to balance out their carbon footprints. 

While carbon offsetting is widely accepted, it has its critics. Environmental journalist, George Monbiot, has compared it to the Catholic church’s practice of selling forgiveness at a price fixed on a menu. He writes, “Any scheme that persuades us we can carry on polluting delays the point at which we grasp the nettle of climate change and accept that our lives have to change. But we cannot afford to delay.” Haas’s new team principal, Ayao Komatsu has also said that engineering decisions are made based on performance rather than sustainability, “We can’t pretend that we’re doing that for environmental reasons.”

The Fossil Fuel Debate

In another layer of irony, while the sport advertises its progress on the sustainability front, one cannot ignore the fact that major oil companies are team sponsors. 

Ineos is a principal partner and one-third shareholder of the Mercedes team, which is of course, officially called the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team. The Malaysian oil company is a title and technical partner since 2010. Meanwhile, Shell boasts that its partnership with Ferrari is one of the “longest running partnerships in motorsport” beginning in the 1920s. 

Formula 1’s sixth Global Partner, Saudi-owned Aramco is, according to the Guardian, “the most polluting company of all time.” Aramco also became a strategic partner of Aston Martin in 2022. The Japan Times reports that F1’s head of sustainability, Ellen Jones, attempts to justify this by stating, “From our side, it’s important that to deliver on sustainable fuels, you have to work with those who can create fuels.”

The Road to Net Zero

Commendable progress has been made as Formula 1 navigates its path towards Net Zero but questions about the long term implications of its current practices still linger. Ultimately, the journey towards sustainability in Formula 1 is not just about hitting targets but reimagining the very essence of the sport – balancing speed and spectacle with environmental responsibility. It remains to be seen what the journey will look like and what long term changes can be made to the logistics of the sport.