Formula 1 recently laid out plans for reinventing itself as a sport that can effectively contribute to environmental initiatives.

The image of the sport, full of engines, oil, smells and noise, could be soon a thing of the past as Liberty Media are going all out to ensure that Grand Prix racing becomes carbon neutral by the year 2030.

While this revolution unfolds in Formula 1 racing, otherwise too governments all across the world are investing into an environmentally sustainable automobiles, offering all kinds of subsidies to companies and people who plan to invest into them.

Getting back to the future of Formula 1 cars, they could potentially be powered by crops and cooking oil, instead of petrol. Incentives will be given to spectators who choose to travel by green cars, bicycles or public transport. The rewards could be in the form of free parking or queue jumping. The F1 fans will also get the option to make payments towards sequestration, for offsetting emissions, based on ‘opt-in’ schemes.

Steps to be taken by FIA

All these plans are a result of a year-long effort put by Liberty Media, supported by FIA, F1’s ruling body. The unveiling of the recent plans came only a few weeks after Lewis Hamilton, the current world champion stirred up controversy by backing fight against global warming on social media platforms.

One particular Liberty strategy which will please Hamilton a great deal, especially because he is a vegan, is F1’s commitment to provide healthier food options to drivers. Some of the other initiatives that Formula 1 will take to reduce its current pollution levels, which stand at a CO2 equivalent of 256,000 tons, over the next 10 years, include:

• Working with companies like BP and Shell for development of sustainable fuel, potentially extracted from crops and cooking oil, so as to completely do away with the hybrid power units.
• All the F1 associated facilities, venues and factories will switch to 100% renewable electricity.
• All the single use plastic as well as other types of compostable or nonrecyclable materials will be done away with.
• Maximising travel efficiency with the usage of least CO2 intensive means of transport, considering that F1 sport takes place in 21 different countries in any given season.
• Formation of verifiable and robust technical as well as biological sequestration programs, so as to efficiently offset completely unavoidable emissions.

F1 keen on leading from the front

While the projected new ecological avatar of Formula 1 might not go down well with everyone, the sport’s bosses have always been clear that they wanted to lead from the front in this department.

The drivers have been briefed about the initiatives and the Chief Executive of Formula One, Chase Carey emphasised that F1 has been on the forefront of multiple technologies over its 70 year long history, which have all contributed positively to the society and have helped in combating carbon emissions.

He believes that F1 can continue being a pioneer in the auto industry, and work hand-in-hand with automotive and energy sectors to deliver the first carbon-neutral power unit of the world, thereby bringing down the carbon emissions throughout the world.