Developing the Porsche 975 RSE is the focus of this week’s Sustainable Motorsport Roundup. You will go behind the scenes and learn how Porsche developed their Gen4 Formula E racer.
Overview
Sustainable Motorsport News
BYD Competition Car Breaks Cover in Romania
BYD, one of the world’s largest auto makers, has been touted as a potential future Formula 1 entrant for several months. While those rumors remain as such, the first Europe-based BYD racecar has broken cover in Romania.
The all-electric BYD Seal 01, based on the Chinese auto maker’s Seal sedan, has been privately developed by a team led by Romanian rally driver Cristiana Oprea. It will contest this weekend’s Super Rally Timișoara and the Bucharest Trophy, the final two rounds of the national rally championship.
Next year, Oprea plans to enter it into the Romanian hillclimb series.
How Sports Venues Are Turning Sustainability Goals Into Operations
The 2025 Sustainable Sport Index Benchmarking Report showcases how sports leagues and venues are embedding sustainability into operations—and the logistical barriers and business outcomes influencing the rate of change. APTIM explains here.
Enovation Consulting’s 2025 Impact Report
Enovation Consulting’s 2025 Impact Report looks at how they are embedding ESG principles across their business: from day-to-day operations to long-term strategy and decision-making. The report shares what they have achieved, what they learned and where we are heading next, in business, in sport and beyond.
As a certified BCorp, we are committed to measuring our impact, being transparent about our progress, and continually finding ways to do grow and improve.
Read the full 2025 Impact Report: https://www.e-novationconsulting.com/our-ethos
FIA Sustainable Innovation Series – Madrid
The FIA Sustainable Innovation Series returns to Spain for the Madrid edition, hosted at the Palacio Municipal de Congresos right by the newly opened Madring circuit ahead of the Formula 1 Madrid Grand Prix. Convening global leaders from motorsport, industry, government and academia, the Madrid conference explores how technologies developed in competition are being translated into scalable solutions for urban, inter-city and air mobility — and how Spain, as one of Europe’s most active mobility markets, is positioning itself as a hub for the next decade of transport innovation.
The program brings the world of Formula 1 into direct conversation with Madrid’s institutional, industrial and infrastructure leadership. From the operational and sustainability breakthroughs redefining what a global championship can achieve, to the emerging landscape of urban air mobility and the disruption of city transport, the day is designed to move from vision to deployment — with Madrid as the concrete testing ground.
You can register to attend online or in person here.
Sustainable Motorsport Tech
Next Generation: The Development of the Porsche 975 RSE
Porsche Formula E pilots will have a new model, the 975 RSE, for the coming season. The Porsche Newsroom took a deep dive into the technical development of the GEN4 race car at the Weissach Development Centre.
“Formula E has become so fast in just around a decade that we now need aerodynamic downforce,” says Olivier Champenois, Technical Project Leader Formula E at Porsche Motorsport. “But there’s no downforce without drag, which increases energy consumption. To further address this topic, we have two aero packages with different body components: a low-downforce package with less drag for racing and a high-downforce package with more downforce for qualifying, where energy consumption doesn’t matter. We’re talking about up to 150 percent more downforce than before.”
Get all the details at the Porsche website here.
The Power Behind the JCB Hydromax
JCB set a new speed record for a hydrogen-powered vehicle in August 2026, achieving 406.320 mph with the twin-engined JCB Hydromax. The car recorded 400.623 mph in its first run at the Bonneville Salt Flats, and 412.135 mph on its return run. It was driven by former fighter pilot Wing Commander Andy Green OBE, holder of the outright Land Speed Record at 763.035 mph (1227.985 km/h). In 2006 Green drove JCB’s Dieselmax vehicle to a diesel-engined record of 350.092 mph (563.418 km/h) which still stands.
Race Engine Technology looks at the engine behind its powerplant here.
Series News
F1 CEO Delivers Positive Stance on Mooted V8 Engine Return
Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has backed FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s proposal to bring V8 engines back to the sport as early as 2030. The plan involves pairing naturally aspirated V8 power units with fully sustainable fuels, a direction that has gained widespread approval across current teams and drivers.
From Track to Road: What EV Makers Can Take from Formula E
What can EV manufacturers take from motorsport? At the 2026 London E-Prix, Zag sits down with the FIA’s Head of Championship for Formula E Pablo Martino to hear about the technologies and lessons moving between the track and the road. “It’s not just track to road, it’s also road to track.”
The Final Verdict on Formula E’s Gen3 Era
Formula E will begin its fourth era of technical regulations later this year and it will be a huge step up in power that will affect the sporting landscape significantly until 2030 at least.
How it got there is largely through the car that went before it, the Gen3, and since 2025, the Gen3 Evo. For good and bad, that car has informed Formula E’s growth a great deal as the championship reaches a level of pace and power that will likely grab more and more fans’ and investors’ attention.
Sam Smith from The Race provides the final verdict on Formula E’s Gen3 era.
Getting to the Track Sustainably
BWT Alpine Formula One Team on the Road – Powered by Enilive’s HVO Diesel Biofuel for European Logistics
BWT Alpine Formula One Team is to use HVOlution, Enilive’s diesel biofuel produced from 100% renewable raw materials, to power its logistics vehicles during European rounds of the FIA Formula One World Championship.
Starting from this season, HVOlution will be used by vehicles transporting BWT Alpine Formula One Team’s cars and infrastructure in the main European countries thanks to a network of over 1,700 Enilive service stations where the product is available. Refueling will be managed through Multicard system. The team’s logistics fleet will be equipped to using exclusively HVOlution over the coming weeks.
HVOlution is a pure HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) diesel biofuel, produced at the Enilive’s biorefineries in Venice and Gela, mainly from waste and residues, such as used cooking oils and animal fats. HVOlution is a drop-in fuel, which does not require modifications to engines or distribution infrastructure, and is therefore an immediately available solution that can contribute to the decarbonisation of road transport: in 2025, along the entire value chain, the average reduction in CO₂eq emissions of Enilive’s HVO was 79.5% compared to the reference fossil mix.*
The agreement with Enilive was developed as part of the partnership between Eni and the BWT Alpine Formula One Team, that last year marked Eni’s return to the FIA Formula 1 World Championship of which the company has become the Official Energy and Fuel Partner of the Team. The alliance also includes a collaboration on the future development of biofuel for top-level motorsports.
Stefano Ballista, Chief Executive Officer of Enilive, commented: “The BWT Alpine Formula One Team’s decision to use HVOlution biofuel marks a highly strategic step that further strengthens an already solid partnership. This initiative reinforces Enilive’s position as a key partner for sustainable mobility, making a tangible contribution to decarbonizing the logistics of one of the world’s most popular and innovative sports championships. At the same time, it provides international visibility for HVOlution, our biofuel capable of accelerating the decarbonization of a large share of diesel-powered vehicles and already widely available at Enilive Stations across Europe.”
Flavio Briatore, BWT Alpine Formula One Team Executive Advisor, said: “Implementing HVOlution by Enilive in the Team’s Logistics activities is another important collaboration we have built with our valued partner Eni. What began as a strong partnership around energy and fuel technology is becoming increasingly more strategic. The introduction of this new project demonstrates a collaboration that is built on trust. We look forward to continuing to strengthen our relationship always further both on and off track.”
Author: Mark Boudreau
Mark is the publisher of Motorsport Prospects and the host of the Motorsport Prospects Podcast. As a lawyer, he applies his legal background and research skills to assist race drivers by showcasing the resources they need to make their motorsport careers happen.
