F1 carbon footprint: Renault will soon announce its own measures

Yesterday it was safety and materials, today carbon neutrality and respect for the environment. Times pass, the challenges facing the automotive sector evolve. With the constant role of the life-size laboratory played by the Formula 1 to test and test solutions sought by a rapidly changing industry.

Last Tuesday, Liberty Media and the FIA ​​have thus unveiled a plan to decarbonize Grands Prix by 2030 ambitious to say the least with optimization of logistics, F1 factories powered 100% by renewable energies or even a hybrid engine that is even more respectful of the environment.

2025 - All sustainable events
2030 - F1 to be net-zero carbon

Commitment and innovation is in F1's blood. Welcome to our next challenge.#F1 pic.twitter.com/6DAO3tSiJc

- Formula 1 (@ F1) November 12, 2019

A first deadline will already aim to balance the carbon footprint of competition weekends by 2025 by, for example, banning the use of single-use plastics, by offering fans a more qualitative catering offer, and by encouraging them to get to the circuit by public transport.

This initiative, the result of 12 months of research work involving experts in environmental issues, has already been officially welcomed by several teams, including Renault.

« These proposals show that F1 is not above ground and that it is sensitive to the world in which it is part, entrusts Cyril Abiteboul, general manager of Renault Sport Racing, CARweekly.

Our sport cannot afford not to have a discourse constructed in terms of communication and image but also in action. This roadmap must involve all stakeholders, not only the FOM or the Grand Prix promoters but also the teams, the factories, the logistics, everyone will have to contribute: it is a necessity.

Liberty's communication is very important because eShe doesn't just say that engines must be less polluting locally. It is the entire discipline that must be decarbonized. In the same way, the entire automotive industry must be decarbonized, that’s what’s at stake. That’s why it will take time.”

A two-pronged Renault action plan

The French manager also specifies that the Losange will shortly announce its program to reduce CO2 emissions.

“We have an action plan,” continues the main Renault F1 team. To be completely transparent, there were two parallel approaches: Liberty's and ours. We analyzed this situation and the need to have a very concrete and structured response. We have developed a plan with tangible measures that we can share with you in a few weeks. We don't want to do it today because we don't want to mix things up.

I can just tell you that our action is based on two axes: people on the one hand and questions of sustainable development on the other with the notion of reducing emissions and also overall efficiency and circularity. This last point is not mentioned by the FOM and concerns recycling and the circular economy to answer the following questions: “What do we do with everything we produce? » 

Renault is very at the forefront in this area with production cars. We are building on what they have done with the establishment of a real sector to try to think about the same types of action on the competition side. This is a complementary element that we will explore and on which we will have concrete measures.

On the human aspect, we will try to better negotiate the transition from one generation of employees to the next. We witnessed this renewal on the site of Viruses-Châtillon since we have been involved in F1 since the end of the 1970s. A few years ago, the elders, those who started the F1 project, left.

We fully appreciate the challenge, we must be able to transmit know-how. We work with local authorities to think about training topics, partnership projects with surrounding municipalities, Grand Orly, etc. »

Finally, to those who think that F1 and ecology are antithetical by definition and that Liberty is trying to buy itself a green virginity with greenwashing, Abiteboul retorts that motorsport is undoubtedly best placed to face the current challenges in this domain.  

“I find the opposites interesting, concludes the boss of Enstone and Viry. This is not provocation at all, but strictly speaking, the only ones who can provide technological solutions are those who are faced with the problem.

Indeed, the automobile industry, and therefore even more acutely motorsport, is confronted with these questions of ecology and carbon neutrality. Who else can provide data to ensure that we have an informed debate and not a discussion that would take place in an obscurantist framework. 

F1 is faithful to its genes of innovation and laboratory of technologies that interest society. Today, carbon neutrality interests everyone, so we are moving into this field as we have done in other areas in the past.”