“We’re so fortunate to have and occupy this planet, so we better start treating it right.” Lewis Hamilton said this in a 2020 interview with WE Day UK. In the past few years, it’s become a well-known fact that Hamilton is a defender of the environment. One way he believes he’s helped the environment is by converting to a 100% vegan diet. A plant-based diet isn’t just the kindest to the environment; it’s kind to his body as well. He’s revealed how a vegan diet has helped him get stronger and sustain longer in Formula 1. But a sport that’s been treating him so well hasn’t been treating the environment too well.

There’s no doubt F1 is one of the least sustainable sports with its world tour and its gas-guzzling. But F1 and its teams have taken steps toward getting better. Earlier this year, Hamilton and Mercedes’ team principal Toto Wolff said, “The world is under pressure because climate change is happening. And it is perfectly clear that sustainability is a key issue in every company today. We in our team also try to contribute positively, not just with words but with deeds. We get 100 percent of our energy from green resources. We are building a solar park. We try to reduce our emissions as much as possible.” F1, too, has shifted to E10 fuel—consisting of 10% ethanol—and is easier on the environment.

Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes aren’t the only ones who feel the environment needs to be protected. In his Formula For Success podcast, Eddie Jordan seconded what Hamilton said at the WE Day interview. He said, “I’m in the very much twilight of my years, and I see lots of grandkids running around the place. That is my wish that they are aware of what’s happening around them, about the climate, about the society, about the world.”

It is crucial for younger generations to know about all this because they’re the ones who’re going to grow up to live here. Jordan added, “It is our obligation to make sure that we leave this world in a better place than when we came into it. And I think if we apply that logic all the way through life and teach and help people who are much younger to understand that logic, then we have a good chance.” Over and above the introduction of the E10 fuel, F1 is also making strides in furthering Hamiilton’s cause, with its goal to become carbon neutral.

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F1’s Net-Zero by 2030 goal

In 2019, F1 announced its plan to become 100% sustainable and have a net-zero carbon footprint by 2023. A plan that took action in 2014, when F1 cars switched from 2.4-liter V8 engines to 1.6-liter V6 turbocharged hybrid engines, started aiming to use lesser fuel back then. And now, as part of its “Countdown to Zero” campaign, F1 is developing a 100% sustainable fuel that will be used from 2026, along with the introduction of next-generation hybrid engines. 

F1 has positioned itself as a technological leader in transport applications and anything involving a combustion engine, and it is pioneering a fuel that has enormous potential to be adopted in vehicles globally. Even though it seems that the automotive industry is shifting to electrification, it is estimated that only 28% of the cars predicted to be on roads in 2030 will be electric. The fuel F1 is pioneering will not only be compatible with F1 cars but also be compatible in urban settings and, thus, would aid in decarbonizing the automotive industry.

What do you think about Eddie Jordan’s views on the environment?

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