Under the real threats of drastic, anthropogenic climate change, it can be slightly uncomfortable to be a fan of car racing. Yes, we all know what we love about the sport but while the reek of petrol in a pit lane excites the senses of motor racing fans, it also has an increasingly guilty association, for both championships and the manufacturers involved.
There is an obligation to present a cleaner image. A lot of the time, that points towards electrification – but if there was a way to cleanly use a combustion fuel, surely that would prove irresistible to racing?
That way may be hydrogen. There are issues with the way that hydrogen is generated (primarily from fossil fuels) and there are a lot of questions about whether it could, realistically, be a fuel for mass transit. However, racing series could have the option of using green hydrogen (generated by splitting water with electrolysis) offering the magical combination of a fuel that will run in a roaring engine which could also…