Cav's Place

The recently agreed changes to Formula 1 power units for the 2027 and 2028 seasons continue the trend of the sport going in the wrong direction, which remains disappointing despite not being in the least surprising. I mean, there was a time when I was hoping for a completely electric Formula 1 by 2030, so something that’d basically make Formula E obsolete, at least in this sense, though the other differences might still leave a space for that series. But, instead of that, we’re now looking at increased power and fuel flow for the internal combustion engine and reduced power for the electric engine, the total power remaining the same but the ICE ending up providing 60% of it in 2028.
There is every reason to do the exact opposite, and Formula E already proves what can be done, but the interests of those behind Formula 1 aren’t in that direction and they’ll make full use of every excuse to hold off progress while greenwashing the current trajectory with the same sort of false claims that the major ruling bodies and corporations from so many fields are using. And I’m not even sure that it’s a matter of plenty falling for that, because the feeling I get is that many fans simply don’t care… Which is, of course, true for many people in general, including plenty of those who claim otherwise when asked.
Not that Formula 1, and motorsports in general, obviously including Formula E and other electric series, aren’t environmentally damaging by definition, and what powers the engines themselves is only a small part of the impact, but the message being sent makes quite the difference, and switching from internal combustion to electric power for the pinnacle of motorsport is also something that would be likely to translate into technological developments that would then be adopted for the road as well… Not that personal cars, including electric ones, aren’t a huge problem in themselves.
Looking at things from that perspective, maybe it’s not that bad, because it may make it clearer that personal vehicles, as well as motorsports, are something that must be phased out, because any attempts to make them less damaging are doomed to fail because of the people who’ll end up making the decisions down the line, regardless of the available technology or even the intentions and initial decisions taken at any one point. But it remains disappointing, and there’s also the fact that motorsports could provide an outlet for those who’d still want to experience or at least watch vehicles in action if and when personal ones will become a rarity in daily life, so seeing that they can’t be sufficiently reformed and should therefore be opposed may not be that desirable if the goal is to make the transportation sector more environmentally friendly. But it’s not like there seems to be much of a chance of that in any foreseeable future, at least not if you take how much needs to be done and how fast into account.