4-time F1 world champion and the third most successful driver in the history of the sport will be doing a demo run in a 100-year-old Aston Martin car using sustainable fuel during the French GP weekend later in the week. The Aston Martin talisman has become a huge advantage for sustainability and recently during the British GP drove the 1992 Williams F1 car which he personally owns using sustainable fuels.
Vettel will drive the original Aston Martin GP car called the “Green Pea” in a demo run at the Paul Ricard circuit. It will use the same fuel as the Williams-Renault FW14B that won the F1 world championship with Nigel Mansell in 1992. The fuel in question has been developed by Aston Martin and Saudi ARAMCO who are also the sponsors for the Aston Martin F1 team for whom Vettel drives these days and key partners of F1.
In fact, F1 owners Liberty Media has announced that the next generation of the F1 engine formula which is slated to be released in 2026 will utilise an engine that will have an upgraded hybrid element with an internal combustion unit that is fully based on 100 per cent sustainable fuel that is being developed in tandem with ARAMCO.
“It was great to find out that this car is still alive, it still runs and is in such good shape. It’s crazy to imagine how long it’s been around but great to see that it’s still there. I’m very much looking forward to getting behind the wheel. I’m guessing it will be very different to what I’m used to,” said the 4-time world champion who recently in a BBC interview also questioned his own career considering the carbon footprint of formula 1 as a sport.
To counter global warning, many solutions towards propulsion are being looked at but electric propulsion has come out in pole position for most automotive brands. In the world of motorsport which is time and weight sensitive, due to the nature of batteries, a fully electric F1 car is not variable and hence 100 per cent sustainable fuels are being looked at.
In fact, F1 as a sport wants to be carbon neutral by 2030 and its direction towards electrification and sustainable fuels is even attracting new manufacturers like Audi and Porsche.
