“Sustainable fuel has a direct impact on engine performance,” warns Mattia Binotto.

As part of a major regulatory change in Formula 1The chassis and power units, now half-electric, have dominated the discussions. Yet, for the first time in the history of the sport, the single-seaters will be powered by 100% sustainable fuel.

In line with F1's overall effort to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030, fuel suppliers have been working on its development since 2022, an extremely technical and costly process. As a result, fuel costs will increase tenfold this season. While a liter of fuel cost between $22 and $33 in 2025, the price in 2026 is estimated to be between $170 and $225. Even worse, some estimates suggest a possible peak of $300 per liter. It should be noted, however, that these amounts are not included in the budget cap established by the FIA.

Let us also remember that the championships of F2 and F3 already operate with 100% sustainable fuel, supplied under a single contract for all teams, thus providing engineers with valuable data that can be transferred to F1.

No room for error

In F1, each manufacturer will work with its own supplier: Petronas for all teams powered by Mercedes Benz Shell for those using engines Classic Ferrari for sale ExxonMobil for Red Bull and Racing Bulls; Aramco for Aston Martin And finally, bp for Audi. Less public, but just as important, Mattia Binotto warns of the key role of this element in the performance of the machines.

« Fuel has a direct impact on engine performance. The difference between good fuel and bad fuel can represent 10 to 15 kilowatts, or approximately 15 horsepower. predicts the Audi boss speaking to the microphone Terruzzi Raconta. In terms of lap time, this can mean four tenths, or even half a second. »

A huge gap in a discipline where every millisecond counts. We are not talking about marginal gains or a few hundredths here, He insists. If a team makes a complete mistake or fails to develop its fuel correctly, it can end up four tenths of a second behind solely because of the fuel. »

So far, Audi has already encountered some problems related to a hydraulic leak during the F1 Shakedown, held from January 29th to 31st at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit. The Ingolstadt-based team nevertheless completed 240 laps, a respectable total that puts them ahead of the new Cadillac team (164 laps) and Aston Martin, which arrived late (65 laps).

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