Can hydrogen be harnessed effectively to provide a source of power in F1?

A question I am repeatedly asked is whether hydrogen could be a suitable fuel for Formula 1. At Le Mans there are several projects aimed at using hydrogen so it cannot be ruled out but, in my opinion, it is not a logical option.

Hydrogen, although abundant, does not naturally occur in its raw state. Processing compounds to split out the hydrogen requires energy and therefore, like synthetic gasoline, hydrogen is actually an energy carrier rather than a raw fuel.

The most sustainable method of producing hydrogen is to pass electricity through water to break it down into hydrogen and oxygen in a device called an electrolyser. This requires less energy than is needed to make synthetic fuel and, if electricity from renewable sources is used, is extremely sustainable.

As an energy carrier, hydrogen is very good, with an energy density nearly four times that of gasoline. But for automotive use we need to consider the complete system used to turn the stored energy into power at the wheels. It is here that hydrogen looks less attractive. 

For a vehicle, you have to assess the efficiency of the energy conversion from stored energy and also the systems required to store and deliver the energy. With a regular gasoline-type fuel, we are able, in an F1 engine, to convert this at over 50% efficiency. This means that of the 42 or so megajoules of stored energy that the fuel contains in each kilogram, we can use about half of it to drive the vehicle, with the other half wasted, mainly as heat.

The system we need to contain and deliver the fuel is relatively simple, with the fuel contained in a ballistic tank together with a few pumps and pipes to take it from the tank to the combustion chamber.

A return to refuelling? Hydrogen would offer a whole new set of challenges

Photo by: Rainer W Schlegelmilch / Motorsport Images

To start a race, we have around 100 to 110kg of fuel and the supporting systems probably add another 10kg. The stored energy in the fuel is around 4.4 gigajoules, with again about 2.2 gigajoules driving the car. 

We can use hydrogen in two ways. The first is a fuel cell and the second is to use it in much the same way as gasoline in an internal combustion engine. The fuel cell is a device that is essentially the reverse of the electrolyser that made the hydrogen. It works by mixing atmospheric oxygen with the hydrogen to produce electricity, the only by-product being water.

This can be a relatively efficient process, with thermal efficiency similar to that of a current F1 engine. The true efficiency is very dependent on the load on the system and the temperature.

The 36kg of hydrogen required would occupy just over 500 litres as a liquid so it is likely refuelling would be required – not an easy thing to do with a cryogenic liquid

Unfortunately, the waste heat is somewhat difficult to deal with as there is no exhaust which, in a conventional engine, gets rid of a large part of the excess heat. In a fuel cell vehicle this has to be done with a cooling system that requires very large radiators.

In terms of ‘engine’ weight, the mass of the fuel cell must be added to an electric motor, the cooling system itself and a battery that is needed to give the throttle response the driver demands.

When using hydrogen in an internal combustion engine, we need to carry a relatively heavy engine but a smaller cooling system and no battery. The engine is not dissimilar to a petrol engine and could theoretically operate at a similar efficiency and therefore have a similar mass to a conventional engine.

In the world of rally, Toyota demonstrated its new hydrogen-powered car earlier this year

Photo by: Toyota

The real problem comes from storing the hydrogen. There are two ways of doing this. The first is as a gas under pressure and the second is as an extremely cold liquid. If we assume that, whether used in a fuel cell or an internal combustion engine, we are looking at similar efficiency, then just like the conventional engine we will need to store around 4.4 gigajoules of energy at the start of the race.

To do this at the given efficiency would require around 36kg of gas. If we compress this to 700bar, which is the maximum used today, we will require a 928-litre tank. As a conventional cylindrical pressure vessel this would be around 700mm diameter and 2.4 metres long. That’s difficult to fit in a car and, due to the strength required to handle the pressure, immensely heavy, probably around 500kg even using F1-type materials.

Alternatively, hydrogen can be stored in liquid form at cryogenic temperatures. The boiling point of hydrogen is –252.9C. This makes handling liquid hydrogen extremely complex and hazardous. The 36kg of hydrogen required would occupy just over 500 litres as a liquid so it is likely refuelling would be required – not an easy thing to do with a cryogenic liquid.

However the hydrogen is stored therefore, while the molecule is attractive, at a system level sustainable gasoline is hard to beat.

This article is one of many in the monthly Autosport magazine. For more premium content, take a look at the December 2025 issue and subscribe today. 

FIA F2 (and F3) already use 100% sustainable fuel ahead of its planned adoption by F1

Photo by: Formula Motorsport Ltd