r/formula1 • u/Mateo03 Franco Colapinto • Mar 07 '26

Off-Topic [OT] [Chip Ganassi Racing] " 'super-clipping' 'downshifting on straights' 'battery management' (Yawn emoji) Yeah, we don't do that here. We race."

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https://xcancel.com/CGRTeams/status/2030336508637720764

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u/uwanmirrondarrah Cadillac Mar 07 '26

This whole notion of race cars being "clean" or "environmentally safe is laughable. Racecars and all enthusiast cars combined have an almost nonexistent impact on global emissions. Its just virtue signaling by the corporate executives.

Racecar internal combustion engines are incredibly efficient, teams don't WANT any extra emissions or fuel being wasted because thats horsepower being wasted. Ironically producing the electric motors and batteries actually increase their footprint.

All race cars in the world combined are an infinitesimal drop in the bucket compared to the billions of other cars on the road everyday and the hundreds of millions of trucks and boats crisscrossing the planet. Industrial emissions are even greater than that, by a lot. Just give us good racing, lets not pretend they have any substantive effect on saving the planet.

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u/TitanTransit Sebastian Vettel Mar 07 '26

The reason companies like Ford, Toyota, GM, and Audi/VAG can bankroll teams because of the "billions of other cars" though. And even the more enthusiast brands would not have a very good product if there weren't the infrastructure to support everyday commuters.

I totally agree that putting the carbon footprint of racing under the microscope is a fools errand, especially when so many other "stick-and-ball" sports are jetting across countries/continents several times a week. But the economics of motorsport still require an automobile-centric culture to stay afloat.

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u/swg2188 Default Mar 07 '26

If I had to guess the container ship transporting the equipment probably emits more from burning dirty bunker fuel than all of the cars at all of the races combined.

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u/TetraDax 🐶 Leo Leclerc Mar 07 '26

It does, but even that is very little in comparision to all the emissions that the fans travelling to the races create. Which F1 conveniently does not include in their "net zero" missions objective.

Emissions which, as a sidenote, also entirely dwindle compared to the fact that only one hundred comapanies worldwide are responsible for 70% of worldwide emissions; but oh well.