Why does Formula 1 need its own fuel?

Formula 1 technical director Pat Symonds spoke about the reasons for developing his own sustainable fuel for the 2026 season.

Fuel for the teams is supplied by big companies, which brings them money and growing popularity for themselves, but in Formula 1 they want to break this chain. Probably because its supplier, Aramco from Saudi Arabia, is the official partner of the championship.

Formula 1 technical director Pat Symonds spoke about the ideological reasons for developing their own sustainable fuel for the 2026 season, when the use of fossil fuels is banned.

Pat Symonds: “By green we mean a fuel where hydrogen is extracted from sustainable sources – splitting water using wind or solar energy. Carbon should not be extracted from fossil sources that are millions of years old, but from carbon that was recently in the atmosphere, perhaps in a plant or in waste – and we will extract it again. We turn it into fuel and reuse it.

If we use 100% renewable fuel and show everyone that it is cheap to produce and can be used with minimal modification without any real physical changes to the design of cars, it will help everyone who uses internal combustion engines.

According to projections, by 2030 there will be about 1.4 billion cars in the world, and the vast majority will be with internal combustion engines. And if we can fill them with environmentally friendly fuel, then we really make a major contribution to the fight against global warming.”