In a rapidly developing world, the cause of sustainability has always had center stage. Undoubtedly, the need of the hour is to protect and preserve the environment. Formula 1, as a sport, has always been liable to come under the microscope of critics who blame it to be a deterrent to the cause of sustainability. But the sport has taken major strides and pledged itself to initiatives that align the sport with the much-needed goal of sustainable development. That being said, has the sport done enough? Toto Wolff has something to say about this.

In the past, many drivers have spoken up for this cause. The biggest spokesperson of this cause is the 4x champion, and now an ex-F1 driver, Sebastian Vettel. Other drivers have also lent their voice, with the main argument being that F1 should ditch their roots to emulate Formula E. And even though the cause spoken for is a good one, one must respect the circumstances and the logistics of it all.

Toto Wolff shuts Sebastian Vettel and Nico Rosberg down with the ground realities of F1

While doing a feature with Acker Magazin with his daughter, Rosa, Wolff was asked by his daughter, “At the end of his career, Sebastian Vettel addressed the fact that racing is a problem in the middle of the climate crisis. Nico Rosberg also called for Formula 1 to switch to electric vehicles in view of global warming. Which screws can you still turn in Formula 1 to become more sustainable?”

Wolff began his answer by dismissing Vettel and Rosberg’s comments, “The truth is that with this global presence we can influence things. We have a billion viewers every year and can present our technologies here. If it’s possible to reduce our emissions by developing a sustainable technology that can be used in cars in the future – then that’s important!”

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He ended it with a strong message for the future, “We are already driving with a biofuel. By 2026, we will have an engine that is 50 percent electric and 50 percent combustion, running on 100 percent sustainable fuel. This is important in that because it is about the energy transition.”  

“If we can give an initial impetus there that this fuel is not only more sustainable, but also affordable and also delivers a corresponding performance, then we have made an important contribution.” [translated via Google Translate]

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The argument for F1 going fully electric has been made before. But Wolff, takes Mercedes’ example to show why F1 is best left alone.

Why Formula 1 will always trump Formula E

Formula E is like a little brother compared to F1. But behind this lies a very strong reason why F1 might never go fully electric. One major attraction that F1 offers is the conventionally run cars as opposed to a fully electric race car. When Mercedes pulled out of Formula E last year, the apparent gap between the two series was the elephant in the room.

He revealed to SwiatWyscigow.pl, “I think that F1 has become so big that everything else has been dwarfed. It’s the same in Formula E, the audiences were just not good enough. It has come to a point where the works team, if you wanted to compete, you need 40 or 50 million euros and the return on investment was too small for that. So you have DTM there, and then you have Formula E here, and then you have F1 in the whole room.”

“So, we decided that let’s concentrate on doing that properly and put the resources into F1, rather than being distracted and dilutive for the other things.”

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The overall appeal of F1 may get tarnished with an all-electric PU. But do you think it’s a risk worth taking in the face of rapid climate change?