And we are racing in...

Just as the F1 2023 season started and the frenzy around who is on top of the grid, who's best at race strategy and some underdogs emerging, all the talk about Formula 1's Net Zero pledge is brushed under the carpet.

A couple of years ago, Formula 1 announced their targets to transition to a more sustainable future committing itself to?“NetZero”?by 2030. However when the 2023 calendar?was announced, it did not seem to resonate at all with the plans to reduce carbon footprint.

24 races calendar for 2023 Formula 1 - Meant an estimated extra 80,000 tons of CO2 compared to 2022

In fact, the 2 additional races to the 2023 calendar makes this year a record-breaking one with 24 races! All the travel and transport for additional races and kind of weird planning for Formula 1 in 2023 will produce an estimated?80,000 tons of CO2, a?15% increase compared to the 2022 calendar.?

In June 2022, Formula 1 released a statement acknowledging the impact of its logistics and in response, it?“plans to build future F1 calendars to improve freight and travel logistics so the sport is moving more efficiently around the world”.?

It was also highlighted that "As part of F1’s plans to be Net Zero Carbon by 2030, the sport is pioneering a ‘drop-in’ 100% sustainable fuel that can not only be used in F1 cars from 2026 but crucially can be utilised by most road cars across the world."

I along with my children watch every race and we are big F1 fans. However I am also a mother who is worried everyday about the future of this planet and how we intend to leave this for our future generations. And something inside me feels less excited and joyful when I watch the races, when I know that huge organizations like Formula One are not being responsible enough and are lagging behind, when it comes to matching the talk and walk around sustainability. I hope they do better and that we can be really happy while watching a race, knowing that those who have the power to make a difference are doing their bit.