Is It Time For Formula 1 To Retire?

Formula 1 racing has had its fair share of acrimony over the years, but the final race of the 2021 season was in a different league. A sport that doesn’t seem to understand or follow its own rules is clearly in serious trouble. However, there are more than just political problems with the king of motorsports (sorry, Indycar and Nascar). Despite attempts to modernize the series, Formula 1 is starting to look like an anachronism.

After COP26 and our subsequently increased global focus on sustainability, the idea of an event showcasing vehicles that do barely 6mpg seems out of touch with current reality. This could be mitigated with synthetic fuels, but those aren’t due until 2030. In 2019, the sport admitted that every race season emits 256,000 tonnes CO2e, the equivalent of the annual output 55,652 typical passenger vehicles, although most of that is logistics, business travel, and factories rather than the cars themselves. Formula 1 is pledging net zero carbon by 2030, but there are still a few years to go before then.

The recent controversy around the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix has also highlighted how Formula 1 is much more of an entertainment event than a sport. The fact that the FIA seems more interested in penalising Lewis Hamilton for not showing up to the awards ceremony than examining why it bent it own rules so that another driver could win the championship is highly indicative of where its priorities now lie. It also illustrates how much Formula 1 symbolizes a certain type of privilege. The extreme cost involved with motor racing has always meant that it was mostly populated with drivers from a wealthy background, and Formula 1 is the pinnacle of that aspect. It is also predominately male, with just five female drivers in its 71-year history, most recently in 1992, and a smattering of development drivers. Lewis Hamilton at least bucked one of those trends, with his mixed-race family origins and council housing estate background.

There are alternatives that are trying to provide something different, however. Formula E is heavily focused on sustainability, using electrically powered race cars but F1-style racing. It has former F1 Champion Nico Rosberg as an early investor, and quite a few F1 drivers have crossed over, with Pierre Gasly actually going in the opposite direction. But Formula E has yet to grab the public imagination strongly after seven years, perhaps because it mimics F1 closely but doesn’t use the latter’s iconic and famous racetracks.

Much more innovative is Extreme E, which recently concluded its inaugural season. This is an off-road race series that has more in common with the Dakar Rally than F1. Like Formula E, the cars are all-electric, but they are SUVs rather than circuit-focused vehicles. The tracks are all chosen to highlight problems with climate change. Each event also involves “Legacy” activities intended to have a positive effect on the local environment, such as reforesting mangroves in Senegal or promoting climate change education in Greenland. Power at the typically off-grid locations is generated by hydrogen fuel cells supplied by AFC Energy, ensuring at least that local emissions are kept to the minimum possible.

So far, there aren’t any non-white drivers in Extreme E, although Lewis Hamilton does have a team in the series (X44). His team won the final race, scored equal points to the Championship winning Rosberg X Racing (RXR) team, but lost out on overall victories. However, the decision to have every team share the laps between male and female drivers equally was a genius move, showcasing the extreme talent of upcoming stars such as Jamie Chadwick, Catie Munnings, Cristina Gutiérrez and Molly Taylor. Some of the driving exhibited by these and other teams’ lady competitors have been nothing short of outstanding, such as the two-wheel save performed by JBXE’s Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky during the final race.

The first Extreme E season has had its issues. Until the last couple of races, the cars broke down too easily, taking away some of the competitive excitement. The races are rather short, due to the current limitations of EV batteries. There are also only five events in the series, with months in between each, which makes it difficult to build viewer momentum. However, the format is still rapidly evolving to provide more of a competitive spectacle, and the final in Dorset, UK showed how far this new series has already come in just one year’s racing.

While Extreme E probably won’t win the huge audience of Formula 1, it does sit as a stark contrast to the latter. Extreme E is inclusive, progressive, and aimed at trying to improve the world we all live in for future generations, whereas Formula 1 seems to have disappeared up its own fundament of acrimony. The way the FIA has behaved recently does not make it a good role model. While sport is meant to be competitive, it also needs to be fair, and to promote strong values in the community, including sustainability. Perhaps the FIA should take a few leaves out of upstart Extreme E’s book and set a better example of fairness and responsibility in the future.