Alternative fuels will be the real fulcrum of the motoring revolution of 2026. The increase in electric power, with a higher hybridization rate than the power units, distracts attention from the technology that Formula 1 wants to promote with the next generation of thrusters. With the electric continuing to be supported by Formula E and the hydrogen soon to arrive at Le Mans, the Circus aims to demonstrate the viability of sustainable gasolineswhich would also save combustion engine technology from extinction.
The fuels of 2026 will be obtained from a blend of bio-components and synthetic gasolines, the ratios of which will vary depending on the composition chosen by the partner suppliers of the individual engineers. It is surprising in this regard how for the first time ever the technical regulations of Formula 1 present sections aimed at guaranteeing the environmental sustainability of its work. Article 16.2.8, for example, lists the so-called advanced and sustainable components of which the new fuels must necessarily be made up: “An advanced and sustainable component is the one certified to be derived from a carbon capture scheme, from a renewable fuel of non-biological origin, from municipal waste or non-food biomass. Such biomasses include, but are not limited to, lignocellulose (including sustainable forest biomass), algae, agricultural residues or waste, crops for non-food energy production and grown on land unsuitable for food cultivation. Renewable fuels of non-biological origin are considered renewable when the hydrogen content is produced in an electrolyser using renewable electricity generation. Bio-components from food crops can be considered advanced and sustainable only if they have already reached their food purpose (for example, vegetable oil waste because it is already used and no longer suitable for human consumption). Furthermore, the biomass from which the advanced and sustainable component has been produced must not derive from a highly biodiverse land such as an undisturbed primary forest or a wood, from a land designed for the protection of nature or from a highly biodiverse pasture that had been in this state since January 2008 inclusive. In addition, the biomass must not derive from soils with large carbon reserves such as marshes and peatlands ”.
The great scruple placed in taking into consideration the possible energy, social and environmental repercussions in the exploitation of biomasses testifies to the vision of Formula 1 to guarantee the sustainability of the entire life cycle of the product, from production to use, passing through transport and processing. There is no lack of attention dedicated to disposal, with the obligation, for example, to prevent the recycling of high-voltage batteries and the reuse of some minerals present in the electric motor such as cobalt. At the same time, the wide range of options available for the production of fuels is an indication of the greater freedom left to specialized companies to independently choose the best source for synthesizing their gasoline. Not surprisingly, putting in estimate a fair differentiation in the compositions of fuels between the different engineers, the FIA has abandoned the limit on the mass flow rate of gasolinereplacing it with a roof for injectable energy flow into the heat engine.
An extract from article 16.1.2 defines the reference standards for calculating the overall greenhouse gas emissions of the production and use cycle of the fuel, on whose neutrality compliance with the technical regulation depends: “The final fuel mixture must achieve a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to gasoline derived from fossil fuels, of an amount at least equal to that defined for the transport sector by the European Union Directive on Renewable Energy RED in force on 1 January of the year preceding the Formula 1 Championship being analyzed. The estimate of greenhouse gas savings takes into account any net carbon emissions, such as land use, the energy used in the collection and transport of biomass, as well as the processing of advanced sustainable components. In any process where sustainable energy is used, this must be in excess of local domestic needs. Where available, the greenhouse gas emissions saved will refer to the European Union Renewable Energy Directive RED in force or to other equivalent and internationally recognized sources ”.
Also of great interest is the passage that establishes the obligation of availability for the market of the fuels developed by the partner companies of the Formula 1 motorists. stock engines without requiring further modifications. Not surprisingly, the minimum number of 95 octane prescribed by the technical regulation of 2026 coincides with that of commercial gasolines: “The use of these components and refining processes in Formula 1 fuels will depend on evidence indicating that the supplier is genuinely developing these components for use in commercial and commercial fuels. that are available for plants capable of producing at least 5000 liters per year or that are commercially available at similar volumes to a third party “. It is ironic to note how, if in the past competitions such as the World Brands World Championship with the Sport Prototype required the homologation for the market of 25 or 50 cars, a similar concept is now being taken up again with fuels to certify their technological relevance for the road.
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