Formula 1's Impact on the Environment

An Individual Research Report (Mock Task 1) for AP Seminar arguing that Formula 1 currently harms the environment but is on a credible path toward becoming fully sustainable. The paper opens with F1's 2019 impact report — 256,551 tons of CO₂ emitted, with 45% from logistics, 27.7% from business travel, 19.3% from facilities, 7.3% from event operations, and only 0.7% from the engines themselves.

The first body section traces what F1 has already done: 2022's switch to a 10% ethanol (E10) fuel blend, which contributed to a 13% drop in carbon emissions by the start of the 2023 season, balanced against Mercedes engine chief Hywel Thomas' concerns about the change in engine performance. The second section looks forward — fully sustainable fuels, fuel-per-race targets dropping from 160kg in 2013 to a planned 70kg in 2026, and the near-tripling of electrical power output from 120kW to 350kW — with driver perspectives from Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen on the cultural shift.

The third section identifies the bottleneck: air freight. Hope Ross' research estimates 77,414 tonnes of air-freight emissions in 2019 alone, and the calendar problem (24 races in 2024, with back-to-back rounds in Azerbaijan and Miami nearly 7,000 miles apart) is shown to be counterproductive to F1's stated goals. The paper closes by recommending broader Sustainable Aviation Fuel adoption — Mercedes' SAF investment alone could halve their personnel air carbon footprint — arguing that if F1 proves full sustainability is possible, other racing organizations will follow.