Formula One is one of the most prestigious and beloved racing sports, with 20 drivers, cars that can go up to 300 km/h, and 25 circuits around the world, it has garnered a massive fanbase globally. However, a report published by the sport in 2019 revealed that  250,000 tons of Carbon Dioxide emissions are released each season, this number is comparable to the amount a small country produces per year. Surprisingly, the main source of these emissions is not the actual cars but rather the extensive amount of fuel required to transport the cars, personnel, and promoters as they travel around the world to each circuit.

  The environmental damage that is caused by F1 cannot be left unaddressed. in the aforementioned report by F1, they have set 2 main goals in an attempt to make the sport more sustainable: to lower their carbon emissions to net zero by 2030 using sustainably fueled hybrid power units and having 100% renewable electricity for all their facilities and factories, and to leave a positive race print by 2025 by ensuring that all materials used at events get recycled or reused, encouraging race attendees to travel to races in more eco-friendly ways (such as biking, public transport, or on foot), and by getting local causes and people to become more involved with races.

  Many drivers have also voiced their support for action against climate change despite participating in a sport that causes so much harm to the environment. At the Montreal Grand Prix on June 19, four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel wore a T-shirt and helmet protesting Alberta’s oil sands operation. It read “Stop Mining Tar Sands,” and had a picture of an oil pipeline followed by “Canada’s Climate Crime” printed beneath it. When asked about it Vettel stated that “I think what happens in Alberta is a crime because you chop down a lot of trees and you basically destroy the place just to extract oil and the manner of doing it with the tar sands, oil sands mining, is horrible for nature[…] It’s just to think about future generations and the world we leave in their hands, it’s only fair to look after it and not destroy it.” In a separate interview when asked if driving for F1 whilst having such stances on climate change makes him a hypocrite Vettel stated, “It does, it does, and you’re right when you laugh, there are questions I ask myself every day and I’m not a saint.”

    Former Formula 1 world champion Nico Rosberg is also active when it comes to climate action. Unlike Vettel, Rosberg does not have to worry about the hypocrisy of having such a stance as he no longer participates in the sport. In 2019, Rosberg co-founded the Green Tech festival, an event that occurs annually in Berlin, London, and New York dedicated to displaying new green technologies. Rosberg also invests in a number of technologies, on the official GreenTech website he states, “That’s [the festival] the only way to bring the enormous potential of green technologies to life. We need to inspire and captivate as many people as possible. We grossly have to accelerate the positive change.”

Works Cited

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Reuters, Story by. “Sebastian Vettel says climate change makes him question his Formula 1 job.” CNN. -05-13T09:22:55Z 2022. Web. Jul 15, 2022 <https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/13/motorsport/sebastian-vettel-climate-change-f1-spt-intl/index.html>.

“ABOUT.” GREENTECH FESTIVAL. Web. Jul 15, 2022 <https://greentechfestival.com/about/>.

Richards, Giles. “Climate emergency accelerates F1?s efforts to clean up its image | Giles Richards.” the Guardian. -11-26T08:00:23.000Z 2021. Web. Jul 15, 2022 <https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/nov/26/climate-emergency-accelerates-f1-efforts-to-clean-up-image>.

·, Lori Ewing · The Canadian Press. “Formula One driver says Alberta oilsands are ‘a crime’ as province charges ‘hypocrisy’ | CBC News.” CBC. -06-17T23:21:32.611Z 2022. Web. Jul 15, 2022 <https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/sebastian-vettel-oilsands-alberta-climate-change-1.6493309>.

Image References

“Charles Leclerc fastest on Day 2 as pair of red flags pause proceedings in Barcelona | Formula 1®.” Web. Jul 15, 2022 <https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.leclerc-fastest-for-ferrari-on-day-2-as-red-flags-pause-proceedings-in.jEFhQwUi4rPp5AtXHOSn9.html>.

Franklin, Michael, Producer, CTVNewsCalgary ca Senior Digital, and Follow |. Contact. “F1 racer Sebastian Vettel on the attack against Alberta’s oilsands.” Calgary. -06-17T15:41:00.000-04:00 2022. Web. Jul 15, 2022 <https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/f1-racer-sebastian-vettel-on-the-attack-against-alberta-s-oilsands-1.5952040>.

“News: #CelebrateChange in Berlin as part of the Greentech Festival.” Haus von Eden. -06-28T10:28:11+00:00 2021. Web. Jul 15, 2022 <https://www.hausvoneden.com/technology/news-celebratechange-in-berlin-as-part-of-the-greentech-festival/>.

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