F1 has plenty to do to address the gas-guzzling sport’s climate impact but it is on a path to change that deserves recognition
The gas-guzzling behemoth, the gaudy polluter roaring its indifference to the problems facing the planet, Formula One has an image problem in the climate emergency age. But is it a fair judgment any more? F1’s sporting director, Ross Brawn, believes that the sport’s technological battleground is turning into an environmental science lab pursuing solutions to issues that cannot be ignored.
F1 has much to do to make a difference but it is taking a path that deserves recognition and perhaps reassessment of how it is perceived. Brawn describes the new direction as compulsory both commercially and morally. “Every thinking person is concerned about climate change,” he says. “I am concerned about it, my engineers are concerned about it – it’s something we can’t ignore. It would be very rewarding for F1 to demonstrate the technology we can take forward to contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gases.