Formula 1 will use its two ‘feeder series’ as test beds for the new sustainable fuel it intends to introduce in 2026.
The synthetic fuels will be produced from renewable sources and produce less emissions than the conventional petrol currently used in F1.
While F1 is contested by competing engine manufacturers and fuel suppliers, Formula 2 and Formula 3 have single specifications of each. F1’s 1.6-litre V6 hybrid turbo engines are produced by four different manufacturers. Mecachrome supply the engines used in F3 – a six-cylinder 3.4-litre unit producing around 380bhp – and F2 – a turbocharged 3.4-litre V6 generating up to 620bhp.
F1’s technical director Pat Symonds says this makes F2 and F3 suitable for testing the new fuels before they have been perfected.
“We will introduce sustainable fuels into Formula 2 and Formula 3 before we do into Formula 1,” he told the Institute of Mechanical Engineers in a talk. “The reason for that is that Formula 2 and Formula 3 use a…