Drive to Revive; Let’s Talk Sustainability in Motorsports
There is an eternal conundrum for those of us concerned about climate change and the fate of our planet, in that “being sustainable” often means giving up things we love. Reducing meat consumption, choosing to buy only responsibly-made clothing (or chocolate!) and carrying our groceries home in our hands to avoid using a plastic bag are all difficult day-to-day… and for the petrol heads among us, thinking about ways to change motor racing for the better without losing the real essence of the sport, or losing the sport altogether, is a real tough one.
Thankfully, the industry is well aware of this, and the chasm between sustainability and motorsport has begun to shrink. The Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) have taken huge steps in the past few decades to make Formula 1, the 7th most watch sport in the world, more sustainable — including everything from innovation in fuel economy to thinking about removing plastic bottles from racetracks. Much of this change was initiated and inspired by Formula E, now in its seventh season of racing. This all-electric motor-racing championship has set the tone for change and shown that a quieter, less polluting version of racing can provide both a strong spectator draw card, a new channel for innovation in moto-engineering and incentivizing manufacturer interest in electrification. From a capital intensity perspective, Formula E’s business model has been built to ensure that all technology that is least relevant for standard road cars (e.g. aero parts) are standardized, massively reducing the overall cost of the sport. Amazingly, at just 4% of the cost of Formula 1, Formula E has been able to generate a global TV audience that is 25% of the size of the F1 viewership.
This April, the newest motor racing series, Extreme E, launched in Saudi Arabia. The series hopes to bring together action and advocacy by racing electric SUV’s in some of the world’s most remote locations — specifically places suffering noticeable and dramatic effects of climate change. In addition to the climate angle, the race will feature both men and women drivers, with one of each per team racing equal laps (in equal machines). In the initial qualifiers this past weekend, split times across all laps showed that these extreme women were right on par with their male teammates. While this drive for equality is hugely admirable and exciting, the somewhat questionable choice of inaugural venue in Saudi Arabia, known for violations of women’s rights, could be the topic for another whole newsletter.
Hayley Mole, Senior Associate
Formula E’s third generation cars (Gen3) will take to the track in 2022 and will continue to push the bar on a sustainable motorsport ecosystem, with manufacturers including Porsche, Nissan, Mahindra and DS Automobiles committing to the new regulations for the 2022/2023 season. Gen3 tender winners, including Williams Advanced Engineering (battery), Spark Racing Technology (chassis) and Hankook (tires), will have to show specific credentials on labor welfare, CSR programs, and submit a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for the end product.
While Formula E tries to change the future of motorsport, the rest of us at could at least try to use our good old gas guzzlers in the most efficient way possible: brake and accelerate steadily, keep tires at correct pressure, ride share and switch off your engine when stationary. Here are 10 ideas to green up your daily motoring.
The latest episode of the Sustaining Sport podcast (Apple Podcasts / Spotify) talks about challenges Formula 1 faces in reducing carbon emissions, the progress that has been made already, and some perspective on where the sport could be doing more.
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