Leading Formula 1 team Mercedes has committed a multi-million euro pledge to accelerate sustainable aviation fuel development. The wider sport is aiming for net zero by 2030 and Mercedes wants to play a central role in stemming its current criticism.
When it comes to sustainability, Formula 1 and Motorsport in general has anything but a clean rap sheet.
Only weeks ago we were reminded of this when campaigners from Just Stop Oil invaded the Silverstone track to protest new fossil fuel projects in the UK.
Last year, the Mercedes team calculated that it was responsible for emitting at least 8,000 tons of carbon dioxide per season โ the equivalent of heating roughly 3,000 homes for a year.
Take into account the combined ecological footprint of all 20 competitive teams, and youโre looking at close to 255,000 tons.
You may be surprised to hear that the actual racing isnโt the big problem either. Tyres on tracks are responsible for just 0.7% of the sportโs emissions, while the constant long-haul flights between venues for passengers and equipment are by far the biggest contributor.
Earlier this week we became the first global sports team to invest in SAF โ๏ธ
SAF is a renewable or waste-derived aviation fuel, set to play a major role in reducing future international aviation emissions. Learn more about SAF on our website ๐
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) July 20, 2022
In-fact, across an entire nine month World Championship, the 20 cars typically burn around 150,000 litres of fuel. This same volume is used up in single Boeing 747 flight with duration of 10+ hours.
Itโs understandable then, given that F1 is targeting net zero emissions by 2030, that its big hitters need to address the route problem of the sportโs sizable footprint. Mercedes has just become the first to do so.