Opinion: Formula 1: An Environmentalist’s Guilty Pleasure

I was sweating, yet I shivered uncontrollably. There I was, cradling my legs as my grandma caressed my back, sick from food poisoning – or, as we Mexicans like to call it, “Montezuma’s Revenge.” I thought that as a native, I was immune to this notorious sickness that typically only affected tourists unaccustomed to the contaminated water in Mexico City, especially since I did not commit the same rookie mistakes most gringos make (drinking water from the tap, ordering beverages with ice, consuming street food, ordering salads or cut fruit at restaurants). Clearly, I was mistaken. The heat in the city was sweltering, one of the hottest on record, and there was little relief indoors; thus, food – from salsa verde to ceviche – even in the nicest of restaurants could easily go bad. I wanted something, anything to take my attention away from the churning pain in my stomach. I lay my head on my grandma’s lap as she coaxed me, reaching for the remote to turn on the TV. She surfed Netflix, finally landing on Drive to Survive, a docuseries of the behind-the-scenes of Formula 1 racing. I never understood the fascination for men driving cars in circles. Until then.

It felt hypocritical, to fall in love with a sport that has a high carbon footprint all whilst experiencing the effects of climate change firsthand – the tiresome heat, and the shortage of water. And yet, the more I educate myself on the effects of climate change and do my part in living sustainably, I still wake up every Sunday morning to watch 20 cars lap around a circuit over 50 times.

The motor sport is racing to become net-zero by 2030, but is that achievable?

There are 10 teams in Formula 1, each with two drivers, competing internationally over 24 weeks of the year. According to the Formula 1 2023 Impact Report, based on the Greenhouse Gas Protocol standards, the sport’s carbon footprint is estimated to be 223,031 tonnes of CO2. The report highlights that nearly half (49%) of these emissions come from logistics – transporting cars, equipment, and supplies via Boeing planes and cargo ships. Another significant portion, 29%, is attributed to personnel travel, which includes all 20 drivers and their teams, such as engineers and pit crew. The teams at the front of the grid tend to have larger staffs, increasing their carbon footprint. Traveling from country to country, in a “seemingly illogical order,” is what makes the Formula 1 carbon footprint so massive. Each team traveled 82,000 miles across all the continents in just 2023. Surprisingly, the emissions from event operations and car fuel are relatively small in comparison. Event operations account for 12% of the total emissions, while the fuel used by the race cars themselves contributes less than 1%.

By 2026, the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, world motor sports’ governing body) plans to enhance sustainability by moving toward a 50% electric and 50% thermal power distribution. Formula 1, considering itself the pinnacle of motor sports, sees this transition as “setting a new standard” and offering a “potentially game-changing solution to greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector.” However, with less than 1% of F1’s total emissions coming from the cars themselves, will this change alone make them net-zero by 2030? While the shift might eventually trickle down to the broader transportation industry, it could take decades to see substantial impact. In the meantime, the majority of F1’s emissions still come from logistics and travel – areas that remain significant challenges in their journey to net-zero.

Still, given that Formula 1 has become increasingly popular beyond its traditionally wealthy fan base – thanks in large part to the media exposure of Drive to Survive – the switch to hybrid engines could indeed have a top-down effect on the rest of the transportation sector and even lead to a greater demand for electric cars. After all, when the wealthy listen, the world tends to follow.

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Julia Ruiz is a student majoring in government and Plan II Honors at the University of Texas at Austin. Upon graduation, she plans to attend law school in pursuit of her dream to one day specialize in water law. In her free time, Julia enjoys learning new languages, running long distances, and exploring new coffee shops in Austin.