F1 to focus on sustainable fuels than electricity, says technical director

Rather than focusing on the development of a new electrical power unit, Formula 1 (F1) will push towards developing sustainable fuels, said FIA Single-Seater Technical Director Nikolas Tombazis. F1 is set for a major shift in the type of engines cars will be allowed to use from 2025. Despite Tombazis’ belief that the competition’s future will depend on sustainable fuels, there have been rumors of an all-electric motor.

“It is our belief that fuel is going to remain at the core of mobility for the foreseeable future, and, of course, in its fully sustainable form,” Tombazis said in an interview with RacingNews365.com. “We want to go fully carbon neutral, and as a result of that, we want to move to fully sustainable fuel. The world is going to a more hybrid situation and that should be reflected in Formula 1.” 

OVERHAUL OBJECTIVES

The FIA technical director spoke of some of the other objectives that would come as a result of the proposed overhaul. He said it crucial for the competition to retain its excitement and make it financially friendly to existing teams and possible entrants. 

“We want to make the cars more efficient in every way,” he said. “Meaning that we must keep the costs down at the same time, making it sustainable financially in terms of business models for the teams, whilst at all times keeping racing exciting, and maintaining the passion in the sport.”

“When you lay out all of these objectives there’s no golden ticket solution to satisfy them all easily, so what we are discussing now is where the best compromise is – we’re not excluding any technologies, and equally we have not settled on the specific direction we will go towards.”

An interesting proposition is the introduction of the four-wheel drive (4WD) as another FIA technical director, Giles Simmons, said that it would be much better suited for energy recovery. 

“Obviously, a four-wheel-drive car is very efficient in terms of recovery, in terms of performance, in terms of cornering. But it’s an added complexity,” he said. 

“We have to evaluate this, is it the right direction for Formula One to go this way? We need to think about a completely car new car, because we are speaking today about new engine, but there is a completely new car coming [in 2025] with this new engine obviously.”