Former drivers slam F1’s ‘green’ plans

Going green is going to cost the F1 paddock a lot of money

(GMM) Two Formula 1 drivers have slammed the sport's 'green' plans.

This week, F1 announced that it wants the sport to be "sustainable" by 2025, and then completely "net-zero carbon" by 2030.

"Sometimes, I wonder who is the idiot who comes up with this nonsense," former F1 driver Olivier Panis told RMC Sport.

"Honestly, sometimes I don't see the difference between being politically correct and being actually green.

"If the aim is to be actually green, then you don't do Formula 1," said the Frenchman.

1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve agrees, saying F1's push for green credentials is "pretend".

"It's to say 'Look, we're green, please love us!'" he said.

"If you're really green, then you don't do sports, you don't do concerts, you do not do car racing. We have to say it how it is, and it doesn't fit with motorsport."

However, Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul does not agree with that assessment, announcing that the French team will soon launch its own green campaign for F1.

"These proposals show that F1 is sensitive to the world around it," he told Auto Hebdo.

"It can't only be about communication and image, it also has to be about action and everyone will have to contribute. It is a necessity," Abiteboul added.

"Liberty Media is not content to say only the engine should be less polluting. It is the whole of the category that must be de-carbonized."