Photo: YouTube / Formula 1
Formula 1 is currently charting a course toward a more eco-friendly future, with sustainable fuels playing a significant role in achieving that ambition. And now, there's a new player in the field, called P1 Fuels, the company that provided the fossil-free fuel for Sebastian Vettel's ride in Nigel Mansell's title-winning 1992 Williams FW14B at the 2022 British Grand Prix.
But that's not the only achievement that P1 Fuels has under its belt, as it's already the exclusive supplier for the World Rally Championship following a three-year deal that started in 2022. On top of that, P1 Fuels also powers the FIA Karting Championship and has partnerships with a few automakers like Toyota, Ford, Nissan, and others.
Having an established brand that proved itself in other disciplines of motorsports as well as striking deals with carmakers, is sure to bode well for a future Formula 1 endeavor. Mix that with the fact that P1 Fuels has already showcased that a Formula 1 car, although 30 years old, can run on its synthetic fuel without any modification, and you have a potential recipe for success.
As outlandish as that sounds, it makes perfect sense, as this synthetic, fossil-free fuel is still a form of hydrocarbon, just like regular gasoline. And while that still means it generates CO2 in the combustion process, this is where the good part comes in. The production of these synthetic fuels does not bring any new CO2 into the ecosystem.
Instead, this process uses waste biomass and carbon dioxide captured from the atmosphere and turns them into synthetic hydrocarbons, creating a circular CO2 economy. This is just a simple summary in layman's terms, but the process is more complex, and the company does have a paper published for those interested in studying it in detail. And since these fuels are compatible with modern cars as they are now, it would mean there's no need to build new infrastructure or modify the current one.
That being said, Aramco is currently Formula 1's exclusive partner regarding the development of sustainable fuel for the 2026 regulation revamp. But P1 Fuels cofounder and COO Benjamin Pochammer has reportedly unveiled the company has already begun discussions with Formula 1 team suppliers to plant a foothold for potential involvement in 2026.
Even so, there's a long way to go before any of this happens, but the signs point to an optimistic future, both for the sport and the average petrolhead. With companies like P1 Fuels working on fossil-free, sustainable solutions, there's hope left for the combustion engine to stick around for a few more smiles-per-gallon-filled years.
This rings especially true when considering Porsche is also working on its own fuels that aim to make ICEV as clean as EVs in the future. Between the research made by Porsche and P1 Fuels hopefully finding more success in motorsport, we have reasons to remain optimistic for the future of internal combustion. Keep in mind even with carbon-neutral fuels, internal combustion would still be a problem in big cities, making the problem relatively complex. But electric mobility is not perfect either, and having options is definitely a good thing.
Having an established brand that proved itself in other disciplines of motorsports as well as striking deals with carmakers, is sure to bode well for a future Formula 1 endeavor. Mix that with the fact that P1 Fuels has already showcased that a Formula 1 car, although 30 years old, can run on its synthetic fuel without any modification, and you have a potential recipe for success.
As outlandish as that sounds, it makes perfect sense, as this synthetic, fossil-free fuel is still a form of hydrocarbon, just like regular gasoline. And while that still means it generates CO2 in the combustion process, this is where the good part comes in. The production of these synthetic fuels does not bring any new CO2 into the ecosystem.
Instead, this process uses waste biomass and carbon dioxide captured from the atmosphere and turns them into synthetic hydrocarbons, creating a circular CO2 economy. This is just a simple summary in layman's terms, but the process is more complex, and the company does have a paper published for those interested in studying it in detail. And since these fuels are compatible with modern cars as they are now, it would mean there's no need to build new infrastructure or modify the current one.
That being said, Aramco is currently Formula 1's exclusive partner regarding the development of sustainable fuel for the 2026 regulation revamp. But P1 Fuels cofounder and COO Benjamin Pochammer has reportedly unveiled the company has already begun discussions with Formula 1 team suppliers to plant a foothold for potential involvement in 2026.
Even so, there's a long way to go before any of this happens, but the signs point to an optimistic future, both for the sport and the average petrolhead. With companies like P1 Fuels working on fossil-free, sustainable solutions, there's hope left for the combustion engine to stick around for a few more smiles-per-gallon-filled years.
This rings especially true when considering Porsche is also working on its own fuels that aim to make ICEV as clean as EVs in the future. Between the research made by Porsche and P1 Fuels hopefully finding more success in motorsport, we have reasons to remain optimistic for the future of internal combustion. Keep in mind even with carbon-neutral fuels, internal combustion would still be a problem in big cities, making the problem relatively complex. But electric mobility is not perfect either, and having options is definitely a good thing.
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