Formula 1 is introducing the biggest regulation change in its history in 2026, with new chassis and engine rules set to usher in the next era of racing.
The new power units will remain the 1.6 litre V6 turbo hybrid, but will have significantly increased electrical capacity and will trade fossil fuels for 100% advanced sustainable equivalents.
As part of the push to net-zero in 2030, the drop-in fuels are developed to be chemically identical to conventional fuels, which makes them compatible with existing engine and power unit technologies.
To ensure that it meets strict sustainability standards, the FIA has introduced an independent certification process in conjunction with Zemo Partnership, a UK-based non-profit independent provider of assurance services.
Together, they created the Sustainable Racing Fuel Assurance Scheme (SRFAS), which uses a robust third-party verification process to guarantee that all F1 racing fuel meets the FIA’s criteria.
This outlines that fuel must be either synthetic, made from waste products, or derived from materials not intended for human or animal consumption.
With the help of Zemo Partnership, the SRFAS ensures accountability by using a verification process that is focused on tracing the origin and movement of each advanced sustainable component throughout the supply chain to ensure compliance with its criteria.
The scheme provides an independent and impartial framework for approving each batch of race fuel produced by suppliers. This is supported by a third-party verification process to ensure compliance with the FIA’s standards for the blended racing fuel and associated components.
Zemo Partnership will oversee the compliance verification by working closely with the accredited auditing companies, but they also hope it will encourage the deployment of low-carbon fuels in the wider market.
Making an impact on the road
In the UK alone, there are 32.6 million petrol and diesel cars on the road, with 1.3 million making up electric cars, according to statistics from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
While there were over 381,000 electric cars sold in the UK, according to official UK government data, there is still a need to push for greater renewable fuels as the government targets zero-emissions by 2035.
Claire Haigh, Managing Director of Zemo Partnership, believes the accountability and verification process used in F1 will help drive towards those goals.
“It is vital that the renewable fuels used in internal combustion engine vehicles undergo robust sustainability verification to ensure they deliver clear benefits,” said Haigh.
“I believe they have a significant role to play in decarbonising the UK’s vehicle fleet. We need to use ‘all the tools in the box’ to deliver the emissions reductions needed to achieve our targets.”
Although Charlie Cotton, founder of carbon consultancy company ecollective, warns that there needs to be more evidence-led action to ensure this does not simply look like a box-ticking exercise for there to be any tangible impact on road cars.
“Any steps taken to reduce the carbon footprint of F1 are a good thing, and the change in fuel is no exception to that. So bravo to the sport for making that change,” Cotton told Sector.
“It’s really important to make sure these lower-carbon biofuels produce the carbon savings promised and don’t come at the expense of other issues, such as deforestation.
We need to focus on progress rather than perfection when it comes to sustainability. So I would be encouraging the verifying body to build trust by being transparent.
Charlie Cotton
“The challenge with that is proving just that it can be incredibly time-consuming and expensive. It can also be a little bit open to conflict of interest with the companies certifying the claims getting their revenue from those whose homework they are marking.
“But we need to focus on progress rather than perfection when it comes to sustainability. So I would be encouraging the verifying body to build trust by being transparent. For example, can they list how many suppliers did not pass the verification process each year and why?”
The FIA has already trialled the fuels in support categories Formula 2 and Formula 3, with all 52 cars running on 100% sustainable fuel produced by Aramco this season. It has proved to be successful, with the standard Mechachrome engines meeting performance and reliability targets.
F1 has shown it can cut down carbon emissions in event management and the use of biofuels in trucks that transport its freight across Europe. While the 2026 power units are unlikely to be used in an everyday family saloon car, the use of sustainable fuels could be a similar test-bed for future use by consumers.
