In news bound to elicit sceptical cries from even the most optimistic environmentalist, F1 is going green.
Speaking in an interview for a Reuters news blog, Nick Fry, team principal for Honda, explained plans to cut the sport’s emissions and waste by 2011.
The team has opted to decorate its two race cars with an image of the earth, rather than the usual commercial signage. And when pushed on the apparent hypocrisy of the gas-guzzling sport jumping on the green bandwagon, Mr Fry countered by outlining the proposed rule changes that will push fuel efficiency to the top of its agenda.
“The idea in Formula One is that from 2011 each team will be given a parcel of energy for each race weekend and that parcel will diminish year by year,” Mr Fry explained. “The person who wins the race will be those who use the energy most efficiently.”
But talk of improvements is overshadowed by the stark reality of the sport’s enormous footprint. Mr Fry conceded that, in addition to the inefficiency of the cars when they reach the track, the output from the factory is also a problem. For example, the Honda factory emits around 5,500 tonnes of carbon annually, mainly to power the wind tunnel, which is used for aerodynamics.
Despite this, the potential to change behaviour through a sport watched by 600 million people worldwide is not lost on the people at Team Honda.
“Formula One is one of the best marketing tools in the world. If we get behind it, the potential in unsurpassed,” Mr Fry argued. “The people who like the sport would be the hardest nuts to crack. They tend to be performance fans and drive cars for performance rather than economy. We’re trying to say you can be a fan of fast cars and do good things for the environment.”
hi,
2011 is 4 yers from now and hene for that much time F! will keep on polluting the atmosphere.
They can start using electric cars, till they have come up with green fuel.
lets also start acting against moto gp and rallies
Comment by JItin Nathani — July 31, 2007 @ 4:56 pm
sorry for some speeling mistakes
Comment by JItin Nathani — July 31, 2007 @ 4:57 pm
So these people want to have a think about it while all the fuss dies down about this global warming business. Well someone needs to tell them that it just isn’t anywhere near good enough.
While Defra are telling us we need to fly less, this band of pollutants are circumnavigating the globe every fortnight in the name of a so-called “sport”. That’s got to leave a bad taste in the mouths of us who are made to feel guilty about their one holiday abroad a year.
Comment by Jobot — August 2, 2007 @ 5:58 pm
by the time the range of the batteries have improved the electric cars will fart the fuelbastards in the face
Comment by Timmy — August 8, 2007 @ 9:29 am
[…] “A good example was the Honda Racing F1 Team, who approached us at the beginning of the year to help them substantiate the launch of their ‘earth car’,” says Antony. “This was a racing car with no corporate logos and stickers – just an awesome image of the earth from space! This was an amazing opportunity to work briefly with an unlikely environmental champion with a communications idea that could reach many millions of people and encourage them to take significant carbon-reducing action.” […]
Pingback by Global Cool » Cool People: Antony Turner — November 27, 2007 @ 6:31 pm
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Comment by Scotty Levy — November 13, 2008 @ 12:58 am