F1’s net-zero emissions pledge clashes with its ambition to become truly global | Wilnesh News

LONDON – To any rational observer, Formula One’s plans to increase the number of races on its schedule from 24 to as many as 30 would appear to contradict the sport’s commitment to net-zero racing by 2030 .

But with this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix coming up, F1’s embattled boss Stefano Domenicali is finally able to mount a rebuttal.

move Suzuka Circuit The move from traditional October bookings to April is part of F1’s strategy to “regionalize” the racing calendar into four geographical areas, reducing the distance teams have to travel between events and opening up several new races. weeks of time.

In theory, tight regional timelines and breakthroughs in sustainable aviation fuels make this a plausible carbon reduction strategy. But executing it required Domenicali to perform some advanced logistical juggling.Not only must he balance the competing interests of at least 21 different countries, but he must also reduce the sport’s overall carbon footprint, estimated to be around 256,000 tons in 2019) More than 50%.

This feat of organizational flexibility is all the more sensational because it must maintain balance in an increasingly uneven political landscape. European circuits such as Spa (Belgium), Monza (Italy) and Monaco have yet to receive contract extensions beyond 2025, while deep-pocketed countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have signed deals that would allow them to continue Stay on the European circuit. Calendar until 2030.

F1’s growing ambitions in the Middle East and the United States sometimes extend beyond the sport. May 31, 2023 Belgian Prime Minister Alexandre De Croo writes to Domenicalinoted that “a balanced calendar is needed between Europe, the Far East and the United States/Middle East that does not harm Belgium” and noted that the local government has made “significant financial investments” to maintain this spread the word Spa-Francorchamps on the calendar.

But investments are still investments, and Domenicali hinted in March that Europe’s traditional tracks would be “rotated” on an annual basis rather than on long-term contracts, He reportedly told reporters that he was “in discussions with other promoters in Europe about doing something that will be announced soon.”

However, this lack of clarity could make it harder for many circuits to meet their own emissions targets.

Stephane Bazire, Silverstone’s head of business sustainability, told CNBC: “Without a long-term contract with F1, it is difficult to invest in sustainability initiatives because (the Grand Prix) accounts for a large proportion of revenue. A big part of it.” Silverstone is one of three major European circuits whose contract has been extended until 2030 (the other two are Austria’s Red Bull Ring and Hungary’s Hungaroring) as F1 looks to City games make room.

However, this shift from dedicated rail to urban rail such as Spa also brings sustainability challenges. “City racing may take the sport to a new location where people can access the track using public transport, but how many of the fans going to Las Vegas or Singapore are local?” Bazil ask.

The answer seems not to be much. Las Vegas airport grounds 400 private jets Arriving at the Grand Prix while Singapore sees 63% increase Flight arrivals increased in September compared with last year’s Grand Prix, which was postponed to October.

With the influx of fans comes increased revenue, which in turn gives these venues the budget to veto any schedule negotiations.this Escrow fees reported at $35 million For example, what Singapore pays in 2023 would have more influence than countries such as Japan, which only pays $25 million.

“I have told Stefano that I do not want this change to happen,” Singapore Grand Prix deputy chairman Colin Syn said. someone pointed out It would make more sense to postpone Singapore to April instead of Japan, given their respective climates. “Since 2008, we’ve been holding games in late September, which has created a routine for those who come to watch the games, and if we changed that we might lose some of the people who buy tickets more often.”

As a result, Japan gave up its spot on the 2024 calendar. Others are under pressure to follow suit.

Canadian Grand Prix president Francois Dumontier also rejected attempts to move the Canadian Grand Prix from its traditional June location to be held simultaneously with one of the three races in the United States. who suggested it Weather conditions will be taken into account when games are rescheduled into the calendar.

Instead, the team must travel from Miami to Monaco in May and then to Italy’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix before turning around and returning to Canada in June.

Williams F1 Team found this out the hard way After a serious crash in Australia, they were forced to send one of their two cars to the UK for a 16,500-mile restoration before flying it back to Japan in time for the next race.

There are no easy solutions. Paul Fowler, head of logistics at DHL Motorsport, told CNBC: “Teams need the same vehicles and equipment they had at the last race so their data is consistent.”

“There are rumors that we have super warehouses in four locations around the world for teams to use, but that’s an ongoing discussion.”

As these discussions drag on, F1 will need to find other ways to achieve its goals. Rather than waiting for this zero-emissions calendar to materialize, teams have rightly turned to engineering solutions – something F1 is better at.

Mercedes has pledged millions of euros to fund research into so-called sustainable aviation fuels, which it says will reduce its aviation footprint by about half. At the same time, new regulations require cars to use 100% sustainable “direct” fuel by 2026, forcing fleets to increase investment in ecological engineering.

As the chances of achieving sustainability goals look more challenging, Domenicali has no choice but to accelerate. As Madeleine Orr points out, “If there’s one industry that can pull this off with some miraculous last-minute technology, it’s F1.”