Sport delivers major carbon reductions amid rapid growth in calendar, viewership, and attendance
Formula 1 has reduced its carbon emissions by 26% compared to its 2018 baseline, marking a significant milestone in the organisation’s goal to become Net Zero by 2030. The reduction, achieved despite the sport’s continued global expansion, highlights the impact of Formula 1’s operational and logistical sustainability measures.
Emissions reduced while audience and race volume continue to grow
Since 2018, Formula 1 has added three new races to its calendar, bringing the total to 24 Grand Prix weekends, while attracting over 6.5 million fans in attendance and reaching a global broadcast audience of 826 million. These figures represent substantial growth in scale and demand. Without active intervention, emissions would have risen by an estimated 10%, according to F1’s internal modelling. Instead, the carbon footprint has decreased from a revised 2018 baseline of 228,793 tonnes of CO₂e to 168,720 tonnes in 2024, reflecting both improved data accuracy and targeted emissions reduction programmes.
Renewable energy drives reductions across core operations
A key contributor to this success has been Formula 1’s transition to renewable energy across its owned facilities and those of participating teams. Since 2018, emissions from facility operations have fallen by 59%, representing a reduction of over 34,000 tonnes of CO₂e.
This shift was facilitated by the adoption of green electricity, upgrades to energy efficiency standards, and tighter supplier accountability across team infrastructure.
Travel and freight restructured for carbon efficiency
Formula 1 has overhauled its travel and freight strategy to cut down on its two most emissions-intensive activities. The introduction of remote broadcast operations, enabling approximately 140 staff members to work offsite each race weekend, combined with the gradual uptake of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), has led to a 25% drop in travel-related emissions, saving roughly 20,000 tonnes of CO₂e. In logistics, redesigned freight containers optimized for Boeing 777 aircraft, and the deployment of biofuel-powered trucks, helped reduce emissions by 9%, equating to over 6,400 tonnes of CO₂e saved in the transport of race equipment.
More races, lower per-event emissions
Despite hosting more events than in 2018, Formula 1 has managed to reduce the average emissions per race by 12%. While overall event-related emissions have slightly increased due to the expanded calendar, improved sustainability practices in site operations, power use, and vendor coordination have made individual events significantly more efficient.
Upcoming developments include advanced fuels and calendar redesign
Looking ahead, Formula 1 is preparing to launch 100% advanced sustainable fuel in its junior racing categories in 2025, with full integration into the F1 championship by 2026. These fuels, compatible with standard internal combustion engines, are expected to significantly reduce race-day emissions and contribute to sustainable fuel development beyond motorsport.
The sport is also pursuing a geographically streamlined calendar, with plans to cluster races by region. For example, the Canadian Grand Prix will shift to May, immediately preceding Monaco, to cut down on transatlantic freight movement.
Formula 1 positions itself as a sustainability innovation platform
Formula 1 leadership remains committed to its environmental agenda. CEO Stefano Domenicali has reaffirmed the organisation’s intention to lead not only in sport, but also in sustainable innovation. Head of ESG Ellen Jones noted that the emissions reductions achieved to date reflect a sport-wide alignment on
