When the three red lights that officially start the F1 Spanish Grand Prix go off on May 22, Verstappen, Sainz, Leclerc, Hamilton, Alonso and other driving stars will be racing on the most sustainable circuit in the entire world. Championship, the one in Barcelona/Catalonia. Those responsible for the Spanish layout have been promoting initiatives that promote care for the environment and social commitment since 2007.
Sustainable mobility is one of the hallmarks of this circuit. Those responsible for the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya have been promoting the use of public transport to access it for years, and most of the service vehicles are hybrid or fully electric. In addition, numerous recharging points for electric vehicles have been installed and are available to all staff.
The venue also promotes the use of renewable energy for the consumption of the facilities, manages external noise with noise impact reduction policies and promotes biodiversity in the surroundings of the circuit. In addition, water dispensers have been distributed throughout the "pelouses" and "paddock" stands to avoid the use of plastic bottles.
And as sustainability encompasses social commitment as well as respect for the environment, the circuit works continuously with different organizations that are in charge of caring for and improving the green areas of the route and distributing surplus food to soup kitchens. Since 2007, 6,500 kilograms have been distributed and all the restaurant services on the circuit are local and use ecological materials.
Thanks to this series of policies, the Catalan track became in 2015 the first Formula 1 track to obtain the level of "Excellence" granted by the FIA Institute, a recognition that it received again in 2017 and 2019. That same year, The Circuit was also the first speed track in the world to receive the demanding ISO 14001:2015 sustainability standard and both the International Olympic Committee and the RFEdA also awarded these initiatives.
With sustainability as a priority in an F1 that always seeks to continue innovating, it was almost natural that Banco Santander, a leader in renewable energy financing, announced a few months ago that it had reached an agreement with Ferrari to advance in the investigation of future solutions and advising the “Scuderia dell Cavallino Rampante” to achieve its goal of being carbon neutral by 2030.
Ana Botín, president of Banco Santander, noted in the December announcement: “We are very excited to work with Ferrari again and support them in their green transition. Santander is committed to the fight against climate change and, as the leading car finance company in Europe, we want to help make the car industry sustainable. This alliance with Ferrari will accelerate the development of both companies in this area”.
In 2020, Banco Santander was the world's leading bank in renewable energy financing and its investment banking business (Santander CIB) has teams specialized in advising large clients on their green transition. The entity has been carbon neutral in its activity since 2020 and has the ambition to reach zero net emissions for all the emissions of its clients derived from any of its financing, advisory or investment services in 2050.
For his part, John Elkann, president of Ferrari, said last December that "it is an honor to have as a partner a global financial leader like Santander, which stands out for its responsible banking, its world leadership in the financing of renewable energies and the advice in ESG projects (environmental, social and corporate governance factors). The great innovations and technological advances of F1 are transferred to the entire industry, which benefits society as a whole.”
Among other actions, the legendary Italian team has been streamlining transport logistics to the Grand Prix for years to reduce weight and consequently fuel. It is also committed to eliminating single-use plastics. Due to these commitments, it has managed to be one of the few teams in the paddock to achieve the three-star Environmental Accreditation from the FIA.
Undoubtedly, one of the great challenges for the future of motor sport is to promote respect for the environment and sustainability without losing an iota of the spectacle it offers.
However, this is possible and the data proves it: in 1980 Formula 1 single-seaters, with 3,000 cubic centimeters atmospheric engines, delivered 500 horsepower. Today, with 1.6-liter hybrid engines, they are close to a thousand horsepower for the same fuel consumption.
Since 2014, F1 cars are already 30% more efficient in terms of fuel consumption, thus reducing CO2 emissions. With a view to 2026, the builders plan to present a new engine that will be carbon neutral, using the most advanced sustainable fuels.
All this pioneering research in F1 will end up also reaching series vehicles, as has already happened with much of the current technology on hybrid engines, the KERS braking recharging system and more efficient aerodynamics. And all of them have previously been disruptive elements in an increasingly sustainable F1, with examples such as the Circuit de Barcelona/Catalunya as champions of this task.
4
