The Sustainable Motorsport Round-Up for November 12, 2021 – F1 Finally Markets their Hybrid Engines and More

The Sustainable Motorsport Big Picture

In this issue of the Sustainable Motorsport Round-Up I will cover a number of series, technologies and proposed solutions. But first it is important to understand how motorsport fits into the overall sustainability picture and why it is an excellent R&D platform to develop sustainable technologies that will move beyond the track. Here are a few articles that look at the sustainable motorsport big picture.

• Building sustainable racing: The legacy between Environmental sustainability and Motorsport
• How innovation within motorsport can provide solutions to climate change
• Harry Eckersley: How sport can play to protect the planet

Series News

Formula 1

• After 8 years of running hybrid engines, Formula 1 has finally released a new branding message trumpeting the fact. Why they waited all this time to reveal this is probably one of the bigger marketing blunders in sports but at least they finally corrected their error.

• How much more efficient can these hybrids get? Hazel Southwell at RaceFans looks at how F1 can push “the world’s most efficient engine” even further.

• I’ve talked about this in previous Round-Ups but hare are more details about how F1 develops the next generation of sustainable fuels.

• With all the talk of sustainable fuels and hydrogen powered race cars, the topic of tires often gets lost in the shuffle. Formula 1 is targeting sustainability gains by bringing fewer tires to races.

• It’s not just the teams that are embracing sustainability but the circuits that F1 races on are as well. The new Saudi GP has announced a partnership with Etaam as part of its sustainability plans.

• Sometimes you need to take a small step in order to begin your journey to big changes. Nothing illustrates this better than Red Bull deciding to partner with Ocean Bottle. According to Red Bull, “In 2022, Ocean Bottle will supply the Team and its guests with fully recyclable reusable water bottles made from recycled materials, and that’s not all! With each unit supplied to the Team, Ocean Bottle will commit to collecting the equivalent of 1,000 plastic bottles.”

Formula E

• Formula E has been quite active at the recent COP26 as they wanted to prove that motorsports can be part of the race against the climate crisis. Here is a summary of what they unveiled plus a few more details and a video.

• Meanwhile, Formula E title sponsor ABB announced new climate initiatives at COP26 while Formula E sustainability director Julia Palle discussed in a keynote speech how COP26 is mobilising the sports sector.

• Mahindra’s Dilbagh Gill has called for a combined effort to do more around sustainability in the all-electric world championship.

• Chemical company Johnson Matthey is currently working with Envision Virgin Racing on battery technology that will increase a battery’s energy density and is testing the technology in the team’s single-seater in order to transfer it to the street.

• Also with Envision Racing, they have announced a new multi-year platinum partnership with the Algorand Foundation. “The Algorand Foundation is dedicated to fulfilling the global promise of blockchain technology by leveraging the power of the Algorand protocol and its ecosystem, to enable everyone to harness the potential of an equitable, truly borderless, digital economy, built on a carbon-negative network, that will help sustain a better planet.”

• On top of all of that, Envision have announced a two-seater electric formula car.

• Jaguar Racing completes a total renewal ahead of Formula E Season 8.

• While Formula E have done a lot so far, these are the next challenges facing Formula E’s eco credentials.

SRO Motorsports Group

• I have mentioned in previous round-ups some of the short-term plans that SRO are implementing in their various GT series around the world but now they have come up with their more ambitious plans at “building a sustainable and inclusive business and sport by 2030.” Here are a few more details.

Extreme E

• With McLaren joining the Extreme E series, the spotlight will continue to shine on this off-road racing upstart. Green Racing News explains how McLaren’s arrival in Extreme E will raise the series’ status.

• Meanwhile, Scotland’s government has provided UK£1m in government backing for a proposed 2022 race in Scotland.

Other Series and their Sustainability Plans

• The World Rally Championship have announced that, along with their new hybrid rules the series will have mandatory electric routes in 2022.

• Gaussin have announced plans for their hydrogen-powered H2 Racing Truck to compete in the 2022 Dakar.

• With Ducati announced as the new supplier of electric racing bikes for the MotoE Championship, just what are their plans? While Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali is excited for the change, many others are expecting a faster and more competitive bike.

• I mentioned the Monaco electric karting series in the last round-up but here are more details as a certain Ferrari Formula 1 driver is behind the series. Meanwhile over in Spain, the winner of the Play and Drive eKarting Spanish Open gets to test a Gen Formula E car.

• It is not just the big name series that are moving towards more sustainability. This shop wants your next race car to be electric.

• This is pretty cool. Team Vesco ups the ante for electric land speed records.

Sustainable Tech and Motorsport

Here are just a few cool sustainable technologies making their way through the motorsport ecosystem.

• Latest 60V motors to hybridize race vehicle systems
• High-performance natural fiber composites from Bcomp
• Driving Sustainable Innovation
• Lamborghini Pushes for Decarbonization
• Goodyear Tests New Generation of Electric Tires on Tesla Model 3

Getting to the Track

There is so much going on with various sustainable transportation solutions that I tend to limit my coverage of them since I have enough to post about with respect to motorsport. Here are just a few examples covering the various forms of transportation used by racing series around the world to get to the track and the disruptive technologies that are starting to make their presence felt.

• Daimler Truck’s Hydrogen-Based Fuel-Cell Truck Receives License for Road Use
• Companies Aim to Use Only Zero-Carbon Ocean Shipping by 2040
• Nice-Paris flight powered by 30% sustainable fuel

Don’t Forget to Participate in the Pioneering Sustainability in Motorsport Questionnaire

I mentioned this in the last Round-Up but you are encouraged to participate in a new global sustainable motorsport questionnaire aimed at those involved in motorsport. More details can be found here.

That’s it for this edition of the Sustainable Motorsport Round-Up. See you in two weeks!