Mercedes is to use innovative sustainable carbon fibre composites for the first time in F1 on their 2025 car and this week’s Sustainable Motorsport Roundup has the details. I also have details on a hydrogen forum for European teachers at this year’s 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, recycling in F1 and an off-road race truck concept taking on the Mint 400.
Sustainable Motorsport News
There will be a European Hydrogen forum during the TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps this year. European teachers will discover hydrogen during a forum organized on the circuit by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, the FIA World Endurance Championship, MissionH24, Automotive Skills Alliance, Green Skills for H2, Hydrogen Europe and Hydrogen Europe Research.
It will take place at Spa-Francorchamps, the setting for the 3rd round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (May 8-10). It has been organized by these European organizations committed to the energy transition to organize an H2 forum dedicated to European teachers, curious to discover hydrogen and its potential.
For teachers only, registrations take place until April 11 on the Registration Form website The public will have the opportunity to enjoy the Hydrogen village, located in the fan zone, and to attend demonstrations of hydrogen vehicles on the track, Friday and Saturday. More details can be found here.
The World Rally Championship’s official fuel supplier P1 Fuels has gone into administration, leading to FIA intervention to secure adequate fuel supply for Safari Rally Kenya in two weeks’ time.
P1 Performance Fuels GmbH, the sole supplier of fuel to the WRC via winning a sustainable fuels tender that began in 2022, was placed into provisional insolvency administration on February 10 by Charlottenburg District Court. Restructuring firm Greenberg Traurig has been appointed as its administrator. Autosport has more details.
Munich. Since the 2015 season, Shell and BMW M Motorsport have been partners and have celebrated many successes together. Now, the collaboration is entering a new decade with the extension and simultaneous expansion of their joint contract. Shell is the Premium Technology, Innovation, and, in the future, also the Energy Partner of BMW M Motorsport. The partnership is visible worldwide in the biggest racing series, including the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IWSC). The collaboration extends far beyond just the racing events.
Starting from the 2025 season, Shell will simultaneously be the Premium Technology, Innovation, and now also the Energy Partner of BMW M Motorsport. Accordingly, BMW M Motorsport exclusively uses and promotes Shell products such as Shell Helix and Shell EV Plus. As part of their technology and development partnership, Shell and BMW M Motorsport are working on joint future projects. These include more sustainable lubricants, e-fluids for electric vehicles, and innovative fuel and energy concepts for motorsport projects. As Shell is also the official partner of the BMW M Trackdays, BMW M customers also enjoy the Shell premium products.
On 26 February, at the International Air Transport Association (IATA) World Data Symposium (WDS) in Dublin, Ireland, FIA Chief Development Officer Habib Turki discussed how cutting-edge technologies, AI, and data analytics in motor sport can contribute to shaping the future of mobility, both in the automotive and aviation sectors.
One focus of Habib’s presentation was how technological advancements in motorsport can influence broader automotive innovation. He highlighted key technological advancements, such as hybrid power units (PU) and energy recovery systems (ERS), that were tested and developed in motor sport competitions.
The FIA website has more details.
Formula E has announced its commitment to join the Energy Compact initiative coordinated by the United Nations and UN-Energy and supported by Sustainable Energy for ALL (SEforALL).
Formula E CEO, Jeff Dodds, and Vice President of Sustainability Julia Pallé, today attended the 2025 SEforALL Global Forum, co-hosted by Sustainable Energy for All and the Government of Barbados, led by Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, to sign an expression of interest to join the Energy Compact.
This landmark commitment aligns with Formula E’s mission to accelerate sustainable human progress through the power of electric racing, and builds upon its recent achievement of topping the Global Sustainability Benchmark in Sport (GSBS) for the third consecutive year.
MIA EEMS in association with Fortescue Zero returns on Tuesday 25 March. Enjoy an open discussion with 250 key industry guests and explore 26 technology showcases. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to directly question leading speakers in motorsport and get your answers on Net Zero challenges. These challenges present a business opportunity of a lifetime and motorsport is leading the way in new technology. Register here.
Enovation Consulting will present a live webinar, “Sustainability in Motorsport: The Sustainable Championship Index (SChI)” on Wednesday, March 19, at 9 am PST. Presented by Dr. Cristiana Pace, Bernhard Hafenscher, and Logan Waddle and hosted by Jeff Hammond from SiriusXM, Ch. 90. Click here to reserve your space.
Sustainable Motorsport Tech
The Mercedes W16 F1 car will be equipped with sustainable carbon fibre components later in the season, which the team says will mark the first time that a Formula 1 outfit has used such products in their design. Mercedes is working with investor INEOS and its Nitriles sub-brand, along with fibre manufacturer Toray, fabric producer Syensqo and resin expert Sigmatex to develop sustainable carbon fibre sheet and matrix resin.
The team have stated that – while working closely with the FIA within the scope of the relevant regulations – their aim is to demonstrate that sustainable carbon fibre composites can perform to the same technically demanding requirements as traditional materials.
Speaking of Mercedes F1, Mercedes-Benz engineers from the road and racetrack, alongside cell engineers from battery developer Factorial, have worked together on delivering an all-new solid-state battery test program, aimed at bringing lithium-metal solid-state batteries to the road. According to Mercedes, its solid-state technology has the potential to increase the gravimetric energy density for vehicle batteries up to 450 Wh/kg at the cell.
As a new F1 season begins this weekend, did you ever wonder what happens to the old F1 cars that raced in past seasons? Maja Czarzasty-Zybert did and so she took a deep dive into recycling in F1 and what teams do with their old cars. You can read what she found out here.
At Paris Hyvolution, on January 28, 2025, MissionH24 and Isoclima, global leader in high-performance transparent solutions, announced their partnership, materialized by the very special H24EVO windscreen.
As technical partner, Isoclima has developed an advanced transparent solution tailored to the unique demands of this revolutionary initiative. The solution includes a complex curved windshield made of 6 mm monolithic polycarbonate with hard coating, non-heated, bonded bushings, and a low installation angle, fully compliant with FIA regulations. Designed to meet the rigorous demands of high-performance racing, the windshield delivers a seamless combination of futuristic style, aerodynamic performance, safety, and functionality.
Tokyo – Bridgestone Corporation has announced its 2025 motorsports plan and part of that announced focused on their sustainability initiatives featuring their ENLITEN technology.
“Meanwhile, by supporting sustainable motorsport activities with primarily tires equipped with ‘new premium’ ENLITEN technology, which is the base technology for product design, Bridgestone is providing support for a carbon-neutral mobility society. The company will continue to sponsor the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge, a world-leading solar car race held in Australia for which the company has been the title sponsor since 2013. The company will supply competitors in this race with tires equipped with ENLITEN technology and that use recycled and renewable materials at higher ratio. The company will also continue its title sponsorship and support of the Bridgestone FIA ecoRally Cup, an international competition in which non-professional drivers compete with a focus on electricity efficiency using zero-emissions vehicles.”
Sustainable Racing
SRO Motorsports Group’s national and continental GT2, GT3 and GT4 championships will use the new generation of Pirelli P Zero DHG tires from 2025.
The slick racing tire features numerous innovations which go beyond pure performance compared to the previous DHF construction introduced in 2022. For example, the natural rubber component of this new family of tires is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) in line with the Pirelli range, which as from last year was developed for Formula 1. More details on the tire can be found here.
A recent edition of the Michelin IMSA Insider looks at the sustainable materials used in Michelin racing tires. The Michelin Pilot Sport tire used in GTP competition is composed of more than 30 percent renewable and recycled materials, including natural rubber, recycled carbon black, steel, orange and lemon peels, sunflower oil, and pine resin. Watch IMSA drivers try to name these materials here. At Le Mans, Michelin went even further, unveiling a competition tire made from an incredible 71 percent renewable and recycled materials.
Chevrolet unveiled its Silverado EV ZR2 off-road race truck concept at the Mint 400 off-road race in Nevada last week (March 5-9), where the truck competed in the event as part of the Hall Racing team’s line-up.
“There is no better proving ground to test the limits of our vehicles than competitive racing,” said Scott Bell, vice president, Chevrolet. “The Silverado EV ZR2 race truck concept, which uses 98% GM production parts, showcases some of the best of Chevrolet to produce a beyond-capable pickup to tackle a challenging race of the Mint 400’s magnitude.”
After setting records on the Nürburgring Nordschleife and at Shanghai International Circuit and the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in California, the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT with Weissach package has now also set a lap record for electric cars at Interlagos, São Paulo. This is the fourth time, and on the fourth continent, that Porsche has secured a lap record with the electric sports car specially designed for the racetrack.
Series News
YouTube creator Driver61 has praised the technology of the Formula E championship, describing the series as “very exciting” after sampling the GEN3 Evo car in last week’s Evo Sessions.
Scott Mansell, who set the fastest time over the two-day event at the Miami International Autodrome, has grown a new appreciation of the all-electric championship having now effectively experienced a regular Formula E driver’s race weekend.
Mansell was one of 11 personalities, made-up of YouTube creators, TikTok influencers and celebrities, who drove for each FE team on the grid in-front of cameras which captured the action for a future television documentary. Motorsport Week has more here.
Sam Smith of the Formula E Notebook confronts the 200MPH Formula E myth. “I think what people generally do want in any quick decision making is what are my shortcuts to identifying as a motorsport, and I suspect that is where the importance of acceleration figures top speed has come. To really highlight, for a lot of people that this is a very different product than it was in 2014 or 2015.”
Fortescue Zero has been announced as the Official Pit Boost Provider of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship for Season 11. Having successfully developed and launched its new PIT BOOST technology for the all-electric series, its hardware provides teams competing in the global championship with a +10% boost of total battery capacity, in less than 30 seconds.
The debate has begun over what should fuel the next phase of the GTP/Hypercar class.
“We are big supporters of eFuels, in conjunction with electrification, not in competition. That’s not happened so far, except for our Supercup, there is no series racing on eFuels. There are sustainable and renewable fuels (such as the TotalEnergies Excellium Racing 100 used in the WEC), but not eFuels. If this happens, OK. But I don’t think it’s very likely. Maybe it will change if public awareness and legislation treat eFuels differently. I think it’s a mistake in the long term [to move away from hybrid tech]. If motorsport thinks motorsport can give the general direction in the world for mobility, motorsport is going to die,” Porsche Motorsport vice president Thomas Laudenbach warned.
The Swedish Motorsport Federation has announced that there will be no STCC season in 2025 and that their efforts will be moved to 2026 instead.
“We have investigated the conditions for the 2025 STCC season but realised that there is not enough time to produce a season worthy the official Swedish Title in 2025. That is why we instead aim for the championship to return stronger in 2026,” said Anna Nordkvist, managing director of the Swedish Motorsport Federation. “We need to set a strategy and a plan moving forward, similar to what we have done for the Swedish Rally Championship.”
The Race has more background on the continuing debate over F1 running V10s in sustainable fuels in the next rules cycle. “Pushing on with the idea of V10s is also something that is quite populist; as there are both fans and teams who are huge supporters of this happening. In an FIA election year, it is never a bad thing to be a supporter of things people like.”
Getting to the Track Sustainably
- Renault 5 Turbo reborn as 500bhp all-electric hyper hatchback for the 21st century (Magneto)
- A week with a Lucid Air: Better than a Tesla? (Grassroots Motorsports)
- Viritech to study the feasibility of a fuel cell range extender in electric vehicles
- Porsche acquires business unit for ultra-high-performance lithium-ion cylindrical cells from VARTA AG (Green Car Congress)
- Chevrolet Silverado EV ZR2 concept takes EV trucks off-road racing (Green Car Reports)
- Boeing and HPCL Drive India’s SAF Initiatives (Energy Digital)
- SAFII Created To Unite SAF Stakeholders in Aviation (AIN)
- A New Tax on Business Jets Could Be Coming to the U.S. (Robb Report)
- Abu Dhabi Aviation Will be First Archer eVTOL Aircraft Operator in the UAE (AIN)
- Why Has Red Sea Global Supported Saudi Arabia’s First SAF? (Energy Digital)
- Azzera Adds ReFuelEU Tool to Sustainability Platform (AIN)
- Carbon Neutral Fuels is raising £1,150,000 investment on Crowdcube. Capital At Risk (Crowdcube)
Author: Mark Boudreau
Mark is the publisher of Motorsport Prospects. As a former 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.
