Formula 1 reports on sustainability and social progress across 2024 season

March 14, 2025

As Formula 1 returns for its 2025 season with this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix, the sport has released a round-up on the progress made towards its sustainability and social commitments across its past season.

Off the track, the sport, which is entering its 75th anniversary, marked with significant collaboration across the paddock as the sport continued to come together to progress against the joint challenges of addressing their carbon footprint and creating a more accessible Formula 1.

Formula 1 advises that “the foundations are now firmly in place to enable Formula 1 to deliver on its 2030 Sustainability Strategy”, with its three strategic aims to:

Achieve Net Zero Carbon by 2030
Leave a legacy of positive change wherever we race
Build a more diverse and inclusive sport

Environment
In 2024, Formula 1 made significant investments in Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) as part of its ultra-efficient logistics strategy. SAF delivers an estimated 80% reduction in associated carbon emissions per flight compared to the use of conventional aviation fuel.

The combined investment in SAF with Global Partners DHL and Qatar Airways reduced total related emissions by more than 8,000 tCO2e (tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent), an approximate 19% reduction in related emissions - compared to traditional aviation fuel - for the air freight charter program operated by Formula 1 across the flyaway events of the 2024 season.

The delivery of innovative low-carbon energy generation systems using renewable sources such as hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), biofuel, solar panels, and battery began testing in 2023, and last year they were used at the Red Bull Ring, the Hungarian Grand Prix and the Italian Grand Prix in Monza.

This season, the program will be rolled out to reduce more than 90% of carbon emissions at all European Grands Prix in key areas such as the Paddock, Pit Lane, and Event Technical Centre.

As part of the sport’s ongoing efforts to reduce carbon emissions associated with travel and logistics, improvements were made to the geographical flow of races around the world in 2024. This included agreement from the promoter in Japan to move the Suzuka race back from September to April to fit with the Asia Pacific segment of the schedule, while Azerbaijan took its slot to align with Singapore.

The organisers of the Qatar Grand Prix also approved a move to the penultimate spot in the schedule, back-to-back with Abu Dhabi. From 2026 the Canadian Grand Prix will be hosted earlier in the year and the Monaco Grand Prix will take place on the first full weekend in June, consolidating the European leg of the F1 season into one period, removing an additional transatlantic crossing and delivering significant associated carbon reductions.

The Canadian Grand Prix will be hosted earlier in the year in 2026, removing an additional transatlantic crossing and delivering significant associated carbon reductions

Last year, F2 and F3 cars ran on 55% advanced sustainable fuel and the FIA Medical and Safety Cars operated on 40%. In 2025, the F2 and F3 cars will move to 100%, ahead of the Formula 1 cars adopting the fuels in 2026 in the new hybrid engines that will take to the circuit next year.

The technology has implications for the automotive industry and existing petrol cars, as the fuel developed by Formula 1 will be a ‘drop-in’ that can be used in road cars without modification and will serve as a sustainable alternative of global benefit.

Throughout the 2024 season, the cars all operated with FSC approved Pirelli tyres, which means the natural rubber in the type complies with the FSC’s strict standards for sustainable forestry.

80% of promoters powered aspects of their events using alternative energy sources such as solar panels, green tariffs and biofuels.

Over 90% of promoters began offering greener ways to travel to the race.

Social
In 2024, Formula 1 entered the fourth year of its F1 Engineering Scholarships program, which will have supported 50 underrepresented students by the end of 2025.

The Scholarship covers the entire cost of the student’s tuition, together with living expenses for the full duration of their degree, enabling them to focus on their studies. It also offers them support to set them up for their careers, including work experience with one of the 10 Formula 1 teams, as well as career workshops and mentoring.

Formula 1 also launched the global education program Learning Sectors in collaboration with the British Council to inspire young learners in Brazil, India, South Africa and the UK to pursue STEM subjects. The year-long program kicks off this year with 130,000 students in 700 schools.

F1 ACADEMY, the sport’s female-only series, competed alongside Formula 1 at seven events last year, completing 14 races. Through F1 ACADEMY’s partnership with the international karting series, Champions of the Future, female participation in racing increased from 5% in 2023 to 25% in 2024.

The sport also continued with hosting apprenticeships and workshops, such as The Next Grand Prix challenge in association with the Social Mobility Business Partnership (SMBP) charity, which challenges students aged between 16 and 18 from a breadth of backgrounds to assume a business leadership role and deliver a fictional bid for a new Formula 1 World Championship location.

F1 launched the Learning Sectors program Sectors’ in collaboration with the British Council to inspire young learners in Brazil, India, South Africa and the UK to pursue STEM subjects

100% of promoters worked with local community organisations and leaders on programs that inspire the next generation.

Formula 1 continued to fund UNICEF’s digital learning passport program, which allows children in disadvantaged areas, or within war zones, to access quality education. The scheme has supported more than 10 million children to date.

With F1's funding, UNICEF has launched the offline versions of the digital learning platform, Learning Passport, in F1 host cities Mexico and Brazil. In Mexico, the program has engaged 45,000 new learners and young people across 10 states, and in Brazil 20 schools now use the platform.

Formula 1 also worked with the organisations it supports, including British Council, Make-A-Wish International, Mission 44, Race Against Dementia, and STEM Racing (formerly F1 in Schools) to give them a global platform from which to raise awareness and funding.

Governance
In November 2024, Formula 1, the FIA and all 10 F1 Teams announced a D&I charter to improve accessibility to motorsport. The charter agrees a clear set of joint principles to maintain momentum and open the doors to future talent through a collaborative, cross-sport approach.

Formula 1 retains ISO 20121:2012 accreditation, which certifies that organisations have integrated sustainability considerations into all aspects of event planning and execution.

Formula 1 and the sport’s member teams maintained their FIA Three-Star Environmental Accreditation, the highest level of environmental sustainability recognition from the sport’s governing body.

Ellen Jones, Formula 1’s Head of ESG, commented “innovation and community drove Formula 1's work in 2024. We are thrilled to outline our progress and continued work in this space. Formula 1 as a sport is uniquely positioned to take action through our global reach and technological leadership.”

The update has been published in advance of the sport’s full 2024 Impact Report, which will be released later this year. This will cover in detail F1’s progress towards its Net Zero by 2030 goal, including its latest carbon emission reduction figures. In the 2023 Social Impact Report, these were on target at 13% against the minimum 50% reduction required versus the 2018 baseline.

Images: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen at the 2023 Australian Grand Prix (top), Qatar's Lusail circuit (middle) and Formula 1 first released its net zero strategy in 2019 (below).

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