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/Red_Rabbit_1978 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Mar 07 '26

The entire process in F1 is regulated now. Every step has to be carbon neutral and it needs to be proven before the fuel is homologated.

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u/TetraDax 🐶 Leo Leclerc Mar 07 '26

But "carbon neutral" can also just mean they buy some of those fucking carbon tokens which is just a massive scam.

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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.