FOTA expecting 12 percent emissions cut by 2012

The Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) announced on Wednesday morning that it is launching a brand-new ‘comprehensive’ program to help reduce carbon emissions in the sport. The start of the scheme comes following examination from environmental research analysis organization Trucost.

As confirmed on Wednesday, Trucost has spent several months ‘researching the full range of activities performed by and within Formula 1 teams and their suppliers’ and has informed FOTA that changes will allow less carbon emissions to be produced in the future, whether it be during the testing or racing of F1 cars.

However, as stressed by FOTA, the actual cars competing contribute to only a fraction of the pollution produced by the sport although the study has also taken into consideration personnel transportation and freight haulage connections with Formula 1.

“The good news is that, in conjunction with the FIA’s and FOTA’s recent successful efforts to improve efficiencies and restrict resources applied to Formula 1, it has already been possible to reduce Formula 1 total carbon emissions," explains FOTA Chairman and McLaren Team Principal Martin Whitmarsh.

“Moreover, building on what we have already achieved and extrapolating what is now being planned, we anticipate that by 2012 Formula 1 will have reduced its total carbon emissions by 12.4% compared with 2009."