The FIA has set a target for Formula one to become carbon net zero by the year 2030. The irony in this is clear given carbon fibre is now a staple of the teams when building their lightweight chassis.
Mercedes have developed a fleet of trucks for their European travels which used sustainable HVO100 biofuel but in a first this year has developed all electric trucks to haul their kit around the continent.
Following a trial at the 2025 British Grand Prix, the Mercedes Team transported its W16 race cars to the 2025 Dutch Grand Prix using an all-electric truck. The 673km trip from the team’s base in Brackley to Zandvoort was completed by a Mercedes-Benz Trucks eActros 600.
One F1 fuel supplier goes synthetic
The reason for the switch may become clear as we now discover there is another crisis looming in Formula One. The all new 2026 cars and powertrains will for the first use 100% sustainable fuels for the coming campaign, with each team’s lubricants partner designing their own.
The FIA revealed recently that one engine manufacturer has hit trouble with its synthetic version of the green fuel, while the rest have gone for organic type products. Yet as is often the case, the teams face a budget crisis over the cost of the new bio fuels.
The current cost of fuel from each of the lubricant parters is between $22-33 a litre and the projected cost when the new 2026 power units were specified was thought to be in the region of $170-200. Yet one team is now quietly briefing this will rise again to an eyewaterinw $300 per litre.
A ten times increase in the cost of fuel to go green now means teams will spend in the region of $12m a season for the juice to go racing. Earlier this year Mercedes boss Toto Wolff explained why the costs were so high and are now above the level of expectation.
‘More Sprints and inverted grids’ for discussion at next F1 commission meeting
F1 Fuel bills up 1000%
“What makes it so expensive is that the whole supply chain and energy contribution needs to be green,” he said. “To achieve all of that, you need a certain specification of ingredients that is very expensive – and it’s coming in much more expensive than anyone thought. So we need to look at whether there’s anything we can tweak to bring the per-litre price down. We want to be open-minded.
“[Mercedes title partner] Petronas has been a great partner of ours. They’re fully committed technically to the project, and with them we’re evaluating is there a regulation that can be changed to make it more financially sustainable?”
The FIA has been in discussions with the F1 teams over the past few weeks and now a crisis meeting has been called with the sport’s fuel suppliers for the week after the Italian Grand Prix. A number of team bosses are believed to be angry at the massive expense particularly in an era when the sport has been making efforts to cut spending and reduce costs.
Whilst the fuel bill for 2026 will be outside the cost cap limitations, the team’s spend on racing and in season development could be affected for some of the less well off outfits. For all of the teams the new fuel is an incremental cost that will have to be found from sponsors or indeed by reducing spending elsewhere.
Insider: Red Bull is completely helpless
Single F1 fuel supplier proposed
Whilst nothing can now be done for 2026, in a strange universe when the FIA president and FOM’s CEO agree on one thing, a better solution must be found. Mohammed Ben Sulayem has argued the sport to move to standardised fuels. In other words one supplier for all the teams, something Mercedes with Petronas and Ferrari with Shell are likely to strongly oppose.
Of course customer teams have no option but to use the fuel designed by their supplier manufacturer. Whatever the bill is for fuel, these teams must stump up or go home. For this reason Stefano Domenicali has sympathy with the teams over the ‘complicated issue’ and he agrees with Ben Sulayem that standard fuels would make “total sense.”
The FIA’s technical officer, Nikolas Tombazis spoke earlier this year about how F1 needs to remain road car relevant for the manufacturers and that the cost of pioneering expensive technologies such as bio fuel, will help reduce the price for the punter at the pump. “It [the cost] will come down like every technology comes down,” he said. “Initially everything is new, everything is innovative, and everything is a prototype in some ways. And as people learn, they will gradually move them [the costs] down.
F1 experimenting on behalf of the world
“I’m not saying it is fully realistic tomorrow to go into a road car, but I think the learning these important partners have will help them drive down the costs. They need to do that for F1 as well as for their day-to-day business.”
Yet once again Formula One is becoming the plaything for the global auto manufacturers who use their massively expensive R&D workshops to hone products later they hope to place in their road cars. The costs are unavoidable for the customer teams as has been the case for the past thirteen years with the eye wateringly expensive and complex V6 turbo hybrids.
Tombazis argues that F1 is doing the world a favour. The swift move from carbon based fuel to electrification may have been prohibitive for the world’s fuel suppliers to invest heavily in bio fuels. So now F1 solves the problem.
“So I think the work that’s being done behind the scenes with colleagues here [in F1], with policy makers and governments to explain this and try and open the door to this as a future potential, again creates certainty for the fuel manufacturers to invest in scale from a customer point of view as well,” he concluded.
Fans want simpler, louder engines
F1 has a history of innovation which found its way into road cars with seat belts, anti-lock brakes and kinetic energy recovery all debuting in F1 first. Yet is the modern era is F1 really about pioneering road car technology? Do the fans drool over a new big bad carburettor like they used to, or has the tech become incredibly complex and confusing for the average viewer?
With Liberty Media pushing to improve the spectacle of F1 racing, the sport must be run primarily for sporting reasons. The manufacturers want hybrids which are heavy and also hugely expensive, whilst fans wold be happy with a return to lighter more nimble cars with the rumble of a V8.
A team may spend over $30m in 2026 for just four power units per car and the fuel with which to run them. This is an unacceptable state of affairs hence why the FIA and FOM speak as one – for once – on the matter. The cost and complexity must be reduced.
Leclerc’s Ferrari contract exit clause revealed
Charles Leclerc is set for another season of disappointment with his Ferrari team. With Formula One set to crown a brand new champion, the Monegasque driver will be ruefully looking on.
Now in his seventh season with the Scuderia, Leclerc has eight race wins to his name but has never really challenged for the drivers’ title. The SF-24 was the class of the field in the 2024 run in, with Leclerc scoring more points after the summer break than any other driver. Further, as a team Ferrari chased down McLaren over the final six race weekends, closing a 79 point gap to just 14 come the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi.
In Zandvoort, Piastri took a major step towards a maiden crown with his seventh victory of the campaign. The Australian’s advantage was magnified when teammate Norris retired late in the race with an oil leak, leaving him 34 points adrift in the standings…. READ MORE
A.J. Hunt is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Andrew oversees editorial standards and contributes to the site’s Formula 1 coverage. A career journalist with experience in both print and digital sports media, Andrew trained in investigative journalism and has written for a range of European sports outlets.
At TJ13, Andrew plays a central role in shaping the site’s output, working across breaking news, analysis, and long-form features. Andrew’s responsibilities include fact-checking, refining editorial structure, and ensuring consistency in reporting across a fast-moving news cycle.
Andrew’s work focuses particularly on the intersection of Formula 1 politics, regulation, and team strategy. Andrew closely follows developments involving the FIA, team leadership, and driver market dynamics, helping to provide context behind the sport’s biggest stories.
With experience covering multiple seasons of Formula 1’s modern hybrid era, Andrew has developed a detailed understanding of how regulatory changes and competitive shifts influence the grid. Andrew’s editorial approach prioritises clarity and context, aiming to help readers navigate complex developments within the sport.
In addition to editorial duties, Andrew is particularly interested in how media narratives shape fan perception of Formula 1, and how reporting can balance speed with accuracy in an increasingly digital news environment.
With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
