Formula One will be powered by 100% sustainable fuels from 2025.
How big of a shift is that? The shift from V8s into hybrids is just as significant. While many governments in the world are focusing on electric cars today, Formula One will send a powerful message that electric cars don’t have the future.
We spoke with Mattia Binotto, principal of Scuderia Ferrari, and Istvan Kapitany (Stock’s Global Executive Vice President for Mobility), to find out the answers.
This is a rapid shift in fuels. E10, a new type of fuel that is 10% bioethanol and distilled from plant materials, has been introduced in many countries. F1 will use this fuel next year and will then lead the way in moving to 100% sustainable fuels. F1’s technology will soon be on the roads and in billions of other cars around the globe if it has its way.
It is a huge deal. Binotto says it is essential to make Formula One sustainable. Binotto says that Formula One has been a platform for innovation. Not only in terms of performance, reliability, and technology, but also for innovation for sustainability. Full electric isn’t the only option. We believe there are other options, such as hybridization with fully-sustainable fuels.
“In terms engine design, it will represent a major change. In terms of know-how I believe there will be much to learn about fuels of a different generation. Fuels that aren’t well known in motorsports today. In 2022, we will introduce E10 fuel and 10% ethanol. What we will see in five years is very different from the initial step of 10% ethanol. It’s exciting because you have to face the challenge. There’s also a learning curve. But it’s all about innovation. It’s about getting the best performance from a fully sustainable product. It will be difficult to be the best in a competitive market. Competition is about relative advantages.
F1 fans were divided when hybrids were introduced in 2014. The main complaint was about the engine’s less powerful sound. This narrative obscured the fact that F1 engines were over 50% more efficient than any other engines worldwide. What will F1 fans see in 2025?
Binotto says, “I believe it won’t be visible from the outside.” The sound was different when the V8 was switched to the hybrid V6. The cars’ shape doesn’t change much for fans, but I think it didn’t. If you look at the hybrid power unit that we have today, it is very efficient and high in thermal efficiency. I don’t believe the fans are aware of this. It will be up to us again to explain the benefits of sustainable fuels and to highlight them. It will be a significant change for technicians, teams and power unit manufacturers. However, I doubt it will be as visible for the fans.
Kapitany says that “incredible advances were made in battery technology in the last years.” Liquid fuels are more energy dense, which gives us great potential to produce high-performance. It is because of this that Ferrari and we collaborate.
There are many ways to get to sustainable fuel. Formula One is the perfect test bed for these types of activities. Commercial quantities of second-generation ethanol are already being produced. It is not made from sugarcane’s edible parts, but from agricultural leftovers. IH2 Technology is a patent-pending technology that produces low quality fuels from household or agricultural waste. We are not strangers to e-fuels and synthetic fuels.
“Sustainable Fuels are another option to EVs. EV’s can be very useful, and they are coming. They will be part the portfolio. We also have to ensure that we offer different solutions to our customers, which is why we love to work in this industry.
What are the next steps? Binotto says that the next steps are in terms of roadmaps. “We work closely with F1 and the FIA to ensure we have the correct specifications and regulations for a fuel that is sustainable for 2025.” Because we know the importance of this point, we are working hard to make sure that it happens.