Automakers and governments occupied the time on the internal combustion engine when they switched to electric, but Formula 1 still sees plenty of life in it as the sport races toward a carbon-free future.
Current Grand Prix cars use a highly efficient 1.6-liter V6 turbo hybrid unit, a far cry from the gas-guzzling V12 and V10 monsters of the old days, and a new “powerful and emotional” car is slated for 2025 Fuels are 100% sustainable. The sport hopes to be able to finalize the specification by June this year.
“While many people might think the internal combustion engine is dead, I would argue that it is far from dead,” said Pat Symonds, chief technical officer, at a recent Motorsport Industry Association (MIA) conference on energy-efficient motorsport. “Sustainable fuels are our big push in Formula 1 and I think we (also) have to use other formulas.”
The first samples of 100% sustainable second-generation biowaste fuel were delivered to F1’s power plant suppliers – Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault – last December. Honda left the company and turned their technology over to Red Bull for testing last December. The current fuel has a biocomponent of 5.75% and will increase to 10% ethanol from sustainable sources from 2022.
Formula 1 aims to achieve a net carbon-free footprint by 2030. However, high tech sport faces questions about its relevance in a world that is increasingly focused on clean energy and climate change. The UK, with a thriving motorsport industry and home to most of the 10 teams, plans to ban sales of new gasoline, diesel and hybrid cars from 2030.
Formula E founder Alejandro Agag has suggested that at some point the F1 must merge with his fully electric series launched in 2014. Both are approved by the International Automobile Federation (FIA), which approved Formula E as the only electric championship until 2039.
Others argue that battery technology is not the solution for all forms of motorsport, even in the longer term. Internal combustion engines, possibly two-stroke engines that use fossil-free fuels, could give the F1 the power and speed it needs while preserving the love of sound fans that electric racing lacks.
“We have a great history and tradition based on internal combustion, and it’s just not going to go away overnight. We don’t want to either,” said Iain Wight, director of business development for Williams Advanced Engineering. HYDROGEN
The former Audi Sport engine head Ulrich Baretzky saw hydrogen combustion engines as a future route for Formula 1 as well as long-distance races such as Le Mans, which is planning a hydrogen category for 2024. “In 2025 we will (still) see internal combustion engines (at Le Mans), because the (fuel) energy density is currently unbeatable with every technology we know today,” he told the conference.
“Five years later, I hope we’ll see a mix of hydrogen, combustion and fuel cells.” Jost Capito, CEO of Williams F1, a former head of Volkswagen Motorsport, said the Porsche 911 sports car would never be electric but could be carbon neutral.
He said it would take a tremendous effort to improve the cost and performance of biofuels and develop more efficient hydrogen production, but motorsport could rise to the challenge. The chemical company INEOS, co-owner of the Formula 1 champion Mercedes, is already one of the largest hydrogen producers in Europe.
“There are technologies that go in different directions, but they all have the same goal of being carbon neutral. This is a really exciting time for me,” said Capito. David Richards, Chairman of Motorsport UK and Prodrive engineering firm, warned that it was “a big challenge” to say where motorsport would be in 10 years.
He warned that politics would play a role, with electrification being presented by governments as a “nice and easy” solution. “We have seen (manufacturers) pull out of most aspects of motorsport for conventional internal combustion engines,” said Richards.
“But maybe we can pull the manufacturers out if we can get these engines to run on alternative fuels, if we can use hydrogen either in a raw state in an internal combustion engine or through a hydrogen fuel cell.”
(This story was not edited by Devdiscourse staff and is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
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