The issues F1 must consider amid its ruthless expansion drive

The earth is warming, seasons are changing, extreme weather conditions are becoming more prevalent, and some countries face the prospect of becoming uninhabitable. While the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change seeks to implement the 2016 Paris Agreement to restrain global warming to between 1.5 and 2.0 degrees celsius above pre-industrial levels, Formula 1 enters its new season and new era with a record 23-race calendar.

This includes its most recent addition, Saudi Arabia, whose giant, state-owned oil company Aramco is now an official partner – of F1 and of the Aston Martin team. As we add a second grand prix in the United States, a third is under discussion. The oft-quoted target of reaching 25 races per season edges ever closer.

Inevitably the question arises as to how F1 can expand its business, meet its net zero carbon emissions target by 2030 and not break the teams in the process? The answer lies in a new three-letter acronym making its way into the Formula 1 lexicon – ESG – the Environmental, Social and Governance criteria by which F1 is being measured.

Companies such as F1’s owner Liberty Media are dealing with a world in which investors, shareholders and customers demand the highest standards of governance in order to protect the climate, society and business sustainability in the broadest sense.

This is one reason why the fossil fuel industry is witnessing divestment. The Global Fossil Fuel Divestment Commitments Database estimates that 1500 institutional investors have pulled US$40Trillion out of fossil fuels in recent years. Meanwhile, in 2021, US$330Billion was committed to sustainable investment funds on the basis of ESG criteria. The message is clear: if you are on the wrong side of the ESG conversation, you won’t attract long-term support.

It is now more than two years since F1 announced its ambitious plan to become a net zero carbon sport by 2030. While becoming carbon neutral is one thing – reducing emissions by as much as you can and then off-setting remaining emissions – the net zero carbon target means eliminating emissions altogether. It’s a tall order.

F1's calendar has expanded significantly in recent years, with Jeddah in Saudi Arabia among the latest additions

Photo by: Motorsport Images

Formula 1 has joined the FIA in signing up to the United Nations’ Sports for Climate Action Framework which, among other things, requires members to promote environmental responsibility, reduce climate impact and educate for climate action. Formula 1 met the requirements to sign. It now must deliver on its stated goals.

The FIA has already driven a plethora of initiatives aimed at tackling environmental challenges, not least with the 2014 launch of Formula E – the same year in which it introduced the current hybrid engine formula into F1. Its Environment & Sustainability Commission is driving environmental initiatives while regulating to inspire the innovative technologies that will help the world achieve the targets set under the terms of the UNFCCC.

F1 is therefore working closely with the FIA to ensure that the series meets its commitments. This includes finalising regulations governing the next generation of powertrains due in 2026. These hybrid engines will continue to feature an internal combustion engine mated to a much larger KERS system, but the intriguing part will be the shift to a fully sustainable synthetic fuel.

Abandoning fossil fuels in favour of a synthetic-fuelled hybrid powertrain is the reason behind the VW Group’s much-heralded new interest in F1. It is a central pillar in F1’s sustainability strategy. Add in the commitment to use renewable energy across all sites, increase remote working and reduce freight volume, and the picture becomes clearer.

Just as safety is not an area of competitive advantage, so too environmental policies and technologies will need to be shared so Formula 1 can move forward as one. At team level the message often reflects individual circumstances and structures

One example was F1’s decision to permanently locate its Media & Technology Centre in Biggin Hill during the early stages of the pandemic. That single move eliminated 70 tonnes of freight and reduced staff travel by 36%. Simply put, a successful net zero carbon emissions strategy means that F1 can continue to grow and still meet its ESG targets.

For the teams, ESG initiatives vary in their ambition. Through the FIA most, but not all, have achieved 3-Star Environmental Accreditation. This is the highest level, demonstrating that a team has put in place an environmental management system and operates best practices as regards its ongoing implementation and improvement.

Williams has gone a step further by announcing that it will be climate positive by 2030. This includes not only reducing carbon emissions caused by travel and energy consumption at the factory, but a biodiversity initiative that will include the preservation of Letcombe Brook, one of only 240 chalk streams in the world. As a result, Williams has become the first team to join F1 and the FIA in becoming a signatory to the UNFCCC Sports for Climate Action Framework. But, unfortunately, not everyone is moving at the same speed.

The Williams F1 team has pledged to be carbon-positive by 2030

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Cristiana Pace, founder and CEO of Enovation Consulting, represents Motorsport UK on the Environmental & Sustainability Commission. Her clients include Williams and Haas.

“To achieve net zero, the industry needs greater collaboration and transparency among stakeholders,” she says simply. “The industry will ultimately not reach its target unless championships, teams and suppliers cooperate and exchange best practice. Teamwork and partnership are essential to enable a sustainable transition for the sport.”

Just as safety is not an area of competitive advantage, so too environmental policies and technologies will need to be shared so F1 can move forward as one. The societal impact of F1’s We Race As One and the FIA’s Purpose Driven initiatives speak to an ambition to make the sport more diverse, inclusive and socially responsible through education and communication. At team level, the message is less uniform, often reflecting individual circumstances and structures.

While Mercedes gets behind Lewis Hamilton’s drive for greater diversity and inclusion, including establishing the Mulberry STEM Academy, McLaren has championed mental health through its relationship with the charity MIND. It contributes to a positive message that F1 teams care about important social issues, even if critics point out that social ‘PR’ is all too easy. This why initiatives such as the Hamilton Commission are so impactful, announcing specific investments in measurable programmes.

As F1 and its teams drive improved social responsibility and pursue their quest to achieve the net zero carbon target, the prospect of staging even more grands prix grows. A generation ago, the world championship calendar consisted of 16 races, 11 of which were conveniently held in Europe. The five long-haul events were packaged into a trio of southern hemisphere openers followed by the mid-year trip to Canada and the end-of-season sign-off in Japan. Most of the time, personnel got home on a Sunday night.

This year’s revised schedule still features 11 races in Europe (including Azerbaijan) but with a staggering 11 long-haul events on top. There are no fewer than eight double-headers and one triple, requiring staff to have extended stays away from home.

AlphaTauri pit crew perform warm-up exercises in Bahrain. Teams are spending increasing stretches on the road, putting a huge toll on their mental and physical wellbeing

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

While it’s true that in the pre-2010 days of unlimited testing, race team personnel would often stay on or transfer to another circuit for a three-day test, staff were seldom more than a one-hour time difference or two-hour flight from home. Furthermore, specific test team personnel took the pressure off the race team. Non-technical staff simply went home.

With a full 24 hours of travel now commonplace, personnel are far more separated in time and space from friends and family. The impact on physical and mental health, wellbeing, family relationships and social life is very real.

In an anonymous blog for Autosport back in December, one insider explained the physical and mental impact of life on the road in 2021, not helped by myriad COVID rules and complex testing regimes. It made for a difficult read – a picture of relentless travel and work, with little down time. Relying on the team doctor for pain-relieving drugs or turning to alcohol to sooth the mind drew a desperate picture.

F1 has responded by reducing the race weekend from four days to three, although this may well lead to more work compressed into a shorter time, increasing the pressure

For the HR departments, the increasing demands on travelling staff are clear. Teams such as McLaren and Mercedes have invested significantly in mental health support, including the recruitment of mental health first aiders.

Efforts to support travelling staff through a range of measures are increasing, including the potential for some to rotate out of race commitments. F1 has responded by reducing the race weekend from four days to three (by cancelling Thursday’s traditional media day), although this may well lead to more work compressed into a shorter time, increasing the pressure.

Individual team doctors, physios and trainers have been part of F1’s make-up for 30 years, but companies such as Hintsa Performance and Formula Health are taking on a central role in helping team management ensure staff welfare and support.

It was Mika Hakkinen who first turned to Dr Aki Hintsa for support, and the Hintsa Performance organisation today supports many teams and drivers. This includes Lewis Hamilton, whose Hintsa support comes from the ever-present Angela Cullen.

Hintsa physio Angela Cullen is an ever-present at Lewis Hamilton's side

Photo by: Motorsport Images

Gemma Fisher, founder of Formula Health, works with Alfa Romeo and has 10 years of motorsport experience. Her approach is to provide each member of staff with bespoke support based on nutrigenomic screening – essentially a DNA-based assessment that allows the development of a tailored solution.

“Individualised programmes are absolutely the way forward and you can’t get more bespoke than your own DNA,” she says. “I’ve seen teams battling the same challenges and coming up against the same hurdles in their implementation of the most well-intended fitness programmes.”

With a nine-month race schedule set to become part of F1’s ‘new normal’ in the post pandemic world, the need to support those who deliver the show has never been greater. It’s a fundamentally important requirement for a championship eager to meet its ESG targets during a decade of profound change.

Formula Health's Gemma Fisher has led Alfa Romeo into adopting bespoke support based on nutrigenomic screening

Photo by: Antonin Vincent