Formula 1 has set some of the most ambitious sustainability targets in global sport.
Net zero emissions by 2030, 100 percent sustainable fuel, a 50/50 split between electrical and combustion power written into the competitive rules for the first time in the championship’s history.
The question is whether the progress matches the ambition – and independent analysis suggests the answer is broadly yes, with caveats worth paying attention to.
The Sustainable Championships Index, an annual assessment of 89 global two- and four-wheel championships produced by Enovation Consulting and academics at University College London, ranks F1 second in the world on sustainability performance for the fifth consecutive year.
It is a position the sport has strengthened year on year – and the data behind it reflects a programme that has materially changed how F1 operates.
“Formula 1 continues to demonstrate that even the most complex global sporting platforms can make meaningful progress on sustainability,” Professor Paolo Taticchi, Co-Director, Centre for Sustainable Business, University College London, told Sector.
“The championship has accelerated its efforts across several fronts – from sustainable fuels and low-carbon energy solutions to more efficient logistics and remote production models.
“While the journey toward net zero remains challenging, Formula 1’s scale, innovation capacity, and global visibility position it as a powerful catalyst for advancing sustainability across the wider motorsport ecosystem.”
What the progress looks like
Against its 2030 net zero target, F1 has already achieved a 26% reduction against its baseline emissions figure. The operational changes driving that number are significant in scale.
Emissions from factories and facilities fell by 59% in 2025. European equipment is transported by biofuel-powered trucks, cutting related freight emissions by an average of 83%.
Investment in Sustainable Aviation Fuel with partners DHL and Qatar Airways reduced air freight emissions by more than 8,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2024 – around a 19% reduction against conventional fuel – with further investment planned.
At circuit level, a low-carbon energy system developed with Aggreko now powers 80% of races, combining hydrotreated vegetable oil, biofuel, solar and battery storage.
Rolled out across all European rounds from 2025, it targets a reduction of more than 90% of energy emissions across the Paddock, Pit Lane and Event Technical Centre areas.
F1 has also built the world’s largest intercontinental remote production system, operating from its Media and Technology Centre in the UK.
Around 140 personnel work remotely each race weekend, reducing the volume of people and equipment required to travel to circuits.
The commercial pressure
The sustainability push is being reinforced by the commercial environment F1 and its partners operate in. As the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive takes effect from 2026, making sustainability reporting a mandatory requirement for Europe’s largest companies, the brands investing in F1 face their own escalating obligations.
“The championship has accelerated its efforts across several fronts – from sustainable fuels and low-carbon energy solutions to more efficient logistics and remote production models.
Paolo Taticchi
A championship that can point to credible, independently verified environmental progress is a more valuable commercial platform as a result.
The index notes that F1’s programme has accelerated in scope and impact in recent years – a trajectory the 2026 fuel and power unit regulations are designed to sustain.
Where the gaps are
The honest part of the picture is this: the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship has led the index for five consecutive years and its advantage is growing. Formula E scored 97 points out of 100 this year – F1 scored 77. The gap widened in 2025 despite F1’s own improvement.
The index identifies certifications and formal industry accreditations as the area where F1 has most ground to make up – the kind of independently verified credentials that sustainability benchmarks treat as evidence of long-term structural commitment rather than operational progress alone.
Sector understands F1’s latest report into its progress is set to be released in mid-June, while plans continue to make freight and travel more sustainable.
F1 is moving in the right direction. The operational data supports that. But with half the decade gone and 2030 approaching, the pace of progress in the years ahead will matter as much as the targets already set.
