How F1 is Becoming More Sustainable

Formula 1® and DHL are transforming motor-racing into a more sustainable sport, not just in the short term, but for the foreseeable future.

Formula 1® has long stood as the pinnacle of racing sports, thrilling spectators worldwide and uniting the world’s best race drivers for a breathtaking showcase of skill, grit, and athleticism. As the annual racing event zooms into its 75th year, its carbon footprint and overall environmental impact has become something that organisers can no longer ignore.

With DHL approaching its 21st year as F1’s official logistics partner, sustainable logistics have never been more important. For the last few years, F1 and DHL have stepped up efforts to reduce the environmental impact of F1 while still delivering high-octane thrills that fans of the sport crave.

F1: Net Zero Carbon by 2030

Beginning in 2019, F1 unveiled its Net Zero Carbon plan with the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030[1]. Amidst rising global concerns over environmental pollution, F1 is stepping up to the challenge by not only maintaining their track record of high-quality races but proving they can pave the way to a greener future by pushing the frontiers of sustainable energy innovation through racing sports.

DHL is supporting F1’s plans by emphasising the importance of sustainability in its logistical practices. This means substantial changes to its ground, sea, and air fleets to carry out more environmentally friendly shipping practices.

DHL: Transforming Transportation

DHL plays an important role in ensuring that over 1,400 tons of essential racing equipment such as race cars, engines, fuel, tires, spare parts, as well as broadcast and hospitality equipment are transported safely between 20 different countries over the course of 9 months. And while race cars are an easy scapegoat for carbon emissions, in reality, nearly 50% of the total carbon emissions during F1 season come from transporting equipment[2]. In comparison, race cars only make up to 1% of F1’s total carbon footprint[2].

Biofuel: An Alternative to Diesel

With such a heavy share of the carbon footprint, DHL is transforming its standard fleet of diesel-powered trucks to run on sustainable biofuels, reducing our carbon emissions and helping F1 attain its Net Zero Carbon goal.

Unlike diesel or gasoline, biofuel is derived from renewable organic sources such as plant matter and animal waste, also known as biomass[3]. Because of this, the carbon released during burning is offset by the carbon absorbed by the organic matter in its life cycle, thus making the biofuel carbon neutral. Biofuels are also called “drop-in fuels” due to their compatibility with normal combustion engines, making the conversion from diesel to biofuel much easier and cost-effective. With biofuels, DHL expects to cut carbon emissions from between 60% to 80% per trip.

DHL Deploys Biofuel Trucks

First deployed in 2023, DHL’s 18 biofuel trucks were responsible for transporting the heavy F1 equipment throughout Europe. Their European journey began in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix where they embarked on a 3-month long journey over 10,600 km, before finally ending at the Italian Grand Prix[4]. These biofuel trucks share the same load capacity and travel distance as traditional diesel trucks while significantly reducing carbon emissions. In the end, carbon emissions were down by 83% from the previous year[5], an impressive achievement and a strong start on the path towards sustainability.

In 2024, DHL doubled its biofuel truck fleet to 37, strengthening its dedication towards both sustainability and reliability. That same year, F1 announced a 26% reduction in carbon emissions compared to their 2018 baseline[1], despite an increase in both the number of races per season and attending fans, putting F1 on track to meet their Net Zero Carbon goal by 2030, with the help of DHL.

Sustainability in the Air

As air freight remains a core component of DHL’s shipping strategy, DHL is reshaping its practices to keep environmental costs low.

Starting in 2022, DHL adopted the Boeing 777 freighter into its fleet, a far more fuel-efficient aircraft compared to its counterpart, the Boeing 747. With its expanded cargo capacity coupled with two engines instead of four, the Boeing 777 can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 17%[7].

Furthermore, DHL has begun transitioning towards Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) as an alternative to traditional jet fuel. As with biofuel, SAF is synthesised from different organic sources such as cooking oil, animal fats, and agricultural waste, a process that recycles existing carbon in the environment without adding to the total amount[8]. Employed in 2024 for the first time, the use of SAF resulted in an astounding 80% reduction in carbon emissions per flight when compared to traditional jet fuel[7].

Singapore Grand Prix: Sustainable Night Racing

Opening in 2008, the Singapore Grand Prix (SGP) has been a mainstay in the F1 calendar for nearly two decades. Drawing in over 250,000 spectators over a three-day period, the event is both time and resource intensive, requiring a gargantuan effort to satisfy fans both local and worldwide. With event operations taking up 12% of overall carbon emissions[2], SGP organisers are taking substantial efforts to stay carbon neutral.

Lighting the Way

The race, which takes place at Marina Street Circuit, remains one of the few nighttime races in the F1 calendar, which presents a unique challenge when lighting the racetrack. Over 1,600 individual floodlights are precisely tuned and positioned over the 5 km racetrack mimicking daylight conditions for drivers, improving their track awareness and judgement[9]. Moreover, being a temporary racetrack converted from public roads, most of the power is usually supplied by diesel generators.

To alleviate the environmental burden, organisers are turning to hydrotreated vegetable oil(HVO), a sustainable biodiesel made from leftover cooking oil from previous onsite vendors, as well as using energy efficient LED bulbs. As of 2025, organisers are increasing HVO usage to 50%[10] among other measures to curb their environmental impact, such as taking accurate measurements of waste streams to properly design and implement waste management solutions.