Every car on the 2026 grid burns fuel that contains no new fossil carbon. The petrol in a 2025 Formula 1 car was already 10 per cent advanced ethanol. The 2026 fuel is the whole way there, made from waste, plant material or carbon pulled out of the air, and Formula 1 describes it as the most important contribution the sport will make to the world beyond racing. Whether that claim holds up depends on questions of chemistry and accounting that deserve a proper look.

What “sustainable” means here

The 2026 regulations require fuel made from one of three sources. Advanced biofuel comes from non-food biomass, meaning agricultural waste or crops that do not compete with food supply. Waste-derived fuel uses municipal or industrial waste as its feedstock. Synthetic fuel, or e-fuel, is made by combining hydrogen with carbon dioxide captured from the atmosphere or from industrial processes. In all three cases the carbon released when the fuel burns is carbon that was recently in the atmosphere, rather than carbon that has been underground for millions of years. That is the whole point.

How it is made

The fuel suppliers, who are commercial partners of the teams, each have their own recipes and guard them closely. The general process for synthetic fuel starts with electrolysis to produce hydrogen from water, ideally powered by renewable electricity, then combines that hydrogen with captured carbon dioxide through a chemical process to produce hydrocarbons that can be refined into something a petrol engine will burn. Biofuel routes ferment or thermally process plant waste into the same end product. The output has to meet the FIA’s specification and be a “drop-in” fuel, compatible with an ordinary engine, which is the constraint that makes the technology relevant outside the paddock.

Is it really carbon neutral?

Mostly, with an asterisk. The fuel’s combustion is close to neutral because the carbon it releases was recently captured. Its production is only as clean as the electricity that powered it, and manufacturing e-fuel is energy-hungry. A synthetic fuel made with coal-fired electricity would be worse for the climate than petrol. Formula 1’s suppliers say they use renewable energy and the sport publishes lifecycle assessments, but the honest summary is that the fuel is a large improvement whose exact size depends on production details that are not fully public. The sport’s net zero target for 2030 also counts freight and travel, which are far bigger sources of emissions than the cars themselves.

Does it cost performance?

No, and the reason is a clever piece of rule-writing. The 2026 power units limit fuel by energy flow rather than mass flow, so a supplier who packs more energy into each litre gains nothing except the ability to run a smaller tank. The engines were designed from the start around sustainable fuel’s properties, and the manufacturers say there is no penalty. Fuel development has become a competitive front of its own, with suppliers working on energy density and combustion characteristics within the specification.

Why it matters beyond F1

The world’s fleet of petrol cars will not disappear for decades, and aviation and shipping have no realistic electric alternative at scale. A drop-in fuel that works in existing engines and reduces net emissions is one of the few technologies that could cut those sectors’ carbon output without replacing the machines. Formula 1’s argument is that its demand and visibility will help drive down the cost of production, which is currently far higher than petrol. That argument has critics, who point out that the volume F1 uses is tiny and that the sport’s main emissions come from flying 23 races around the world. Both things are true. The fuel is real, it works, and the freight problem is still there.

Frequently asked questions

What fuel do the cars use?

100 per cent sustainable fuel made from non-food biomass, waste or captured carbon.

Is it carbon neutral?

Close to neutral in combustion. Production is only as clean as the energy used to make it.

Is it slower than petrol?

No. Fuel is regulated by energy content and the engines were designed around it.

Can it be used in road cars?

Yes, it is a drop-in fuel compatible with existing petrol engines.