McLaren Racing cut emissions by 23% per race in 2024 and in this week’s Sustainable Motorsport Roundup I have the details on how they did it. I also have the details of Formula 1’s plan to reduce emissions by 90% during the 2025 season’s European leg, a new all-electric rally car and what Bosch and Ligier are doing with hydrogen in motorsport plus much more.
Sustainable Motorsport News
McLaren Racing has published its annual Sustainability Report, a transparent overview of the team’s environmental and social impacts in 2024, including details of a major investment in Sustainable Aviation Fuel certificates (SAFc).
Key achievements in 2024 include:
• Reduced total greenhouse gas emissions by 8.6% compared to 2023, before SAF investment
• Funded one million US gallons of sustainable aviation fuel, covering 100% of business travel emissions across all series
• 48% reduction in F1 road freight emissions from switching to biofuel, a direct replacement for diesel which reduces emissions by up to 90%
• Combined, our funding of SAF and reductions equate to a 23% decrease in emissions per race vs. 2023
• Achieved 37% material circularity in our F1 Constructor activities, including the development and manufacture of the F1 chassis
• 43% of new starters came from underrepresented backgrounds, taking the total of team members from underrepresented backgrounds to 33%
• Opened the state-of-the-art Optimum Nutrition McLaren Performance Hub, a dedicated facility for our people to support physical and mental health & wellbeing
More details can be found in the links below as well as a podcast interview with Kim Wilson, McLaren Racing’s sustainability director.
- McLAREN Racing announces major investment in Sustainable Aviation Fuel programme in 2024 Sustainability Report
- Key takeaways from McLAREN’s 2024 sustainability report
- New podcast: In the Green Room with Kim Wilson, McLaren Racing’s sustainability director
The Enzo and Dino Ferrari International Autodrome of Imola explains the steps they took to make last weekend’s Emilia-Romagna Gand Prix the most sustainable yet. “On the occasion of the Formula 1 AWS Grand Prix of Made in Italy and Emilia-Romagna 2025, Imola and the Enzo and Dino Ferrari International Autodrome of Imola once again present themselves as a model of sustainable innovation, adopting an articulated plan of actions integrating environment, energy, inclusion and responsible mobility. The Autodromo, it should be recalled, already has International Iso 20121 and Iso 14001 certification, as well as being awarded three FIA stars, the world’s highest award for sustainability in motorsport.”
Read about their initiatives here.
Sustainable Motorsport Tech
Opel has become the first manufacturer to develop an all-electric rally car built to the FIA’s new eRally5 regulations with the unveiling of its prototype Mokka GSE Rally.
“For more than four years, Opel and the ADAC have been demonstrating that electric rallying works and excites,” said Opel and Vauxhall CEO Florian Huettl.
“With our new Opel Mokka GSE Rally, we are offering a glimpse of a fully electric next generation rally car – thanks to the latest motorsport technology the prototype offers strong performance and power aplenty.”
Autosport has more details here.
Here are two articles looking at the work that Bosch is doing with hydrogen in motorsport. “Endurance motorsport offers a perfect testing ground for new technologies since the components employed must be extremely robust and durable.”
- Bosch Pioneers Hydrogen in Motorsport (The EV Report)
- 24 Hours of Le Mans: Bosch introduces pioneering hydrogen concept for the future of motorsport (Hydrogen Central)
For the third year in a row, Ligier Automotive will be at the heart of the H2 Village during the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Ligier JS2 RH2, the brand’s first hydrogen-powered race car developed in collaboration with Bosch Engineering, will once again be on display. This rolling laboratory continues to serve as a development platform for gaseous hydrogen solutions while enabling the company to advance its work on liquid hydrogen—now a top priority. Ligier Automotive’s ongoing presence in the H2 Village underscores its commitment to becoming a key player in the hydrogen mobility space.
Formula E has come a long way in just over 10 seasons. We’ve raced through two astronomical leaps in electric car performance and driven the revolution with the leap from GEN1, GEN2, GEN3 and on to the world’s fastest most sustainable electric race car ever: the GEN3 Evo. The Formula E website highlights the history of Formula E’s cutting edge race cars from GEN1-2-3 to GEN3 Evo.
Sustainable Racing
Spanish company Baltasar unveiled its Revolt R concept this month in Barcelona. The new auto is an all-electric, 1,763-pound, no-windshield track beast, and its signature feature is an enormous, show-stopping rear wing that sits above the roll bar.
“The Revolt R concept is an evolution of a previous roadster version of the Revolt introduced in 2021. That car was said to make 500 brake horsepower from two electric motors, and the Revolt R would likely do the same, though Baltasar has not released power specifications. The company has said that charging to 80 percent should take place in five minutes. Beyond that, not many details are available.”
The third edition of the SWS E-Sprint International Final will be held on the Wavre Indoor Karting track on 23 & 24 May 2025. After the combustion propulsion in 2024, it is the turn of the electric car to settle down in Belgium to welcome the world’s best E-Sprint drivers for the 2024 season. More details can be found here.
Series News
As Formula 1 begins the European leg of the 2025 season, the sport’s alternative fuel strategy will be at the heart of the drive towards Net Zero by 2030. Building on trials in recent years, this season, 37 biofueled trucks will deliver freight for the events, a renewable and centralised energy system will power the pit and paddock areas, and the F2 and F3 championships will continue to race on 100% advanced sustainable fuel ahead of Formula 1 moving to sustainably fuelled cars in 2026.
Full details can be found here.
After the idea gained what appeared to be unstoppable momentum, a revival of (potentially) lighter, simpler and naturally aspirated V10s in Formula 1 has been rejected – but for how long? Stuart Codling looks into the issue in this article on Autosport Plus.
As Formula E completed its second successive year racing in Tokyo last weekend, it has emerged that the all-electric championship is keen to race in the Japanese capital at night. “I worked for Honda for a number of years, so I know Tokyo well, but historically this is an iconic neon city. If you ask someone who has never been to Tokyo to imagine Tokyo, they will imagine neon lights and night life.”
Getting to the Track Sustainably
- Spike Aerospace Resurfaces Supersonic Bizjet Candidate (AIN)
- HYSKY Society Publishes 2024 Hydrogen Aviation Impact Report (HYSKY)
- HKBAC Brings Sustainable Aviation Fuel to Hong Kong (AIN)
- Venus Aerospace Completes Historic U.S. Hypersonic Engine Flight Test (PR)
- Business Aviation Customers Feel the RefuelEU Pinch (AIN)
Author: Mark Boudreau
Mark is the publisher of Motorsport Prospects. 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.
