09/12/2023
NEWS STORY
F1 is working with the FIA and the Extreme E electric racing series in a bid to bring hydrogen power to motorsport.
In fact, in 2025, Extreme E, which features teams 'owned' by three world champions - Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button, and Nico Rosberg - will rebrand as Extreme H as the series switches from electric to hydrogen power.
Also, from 2026, Le Mans, the proving ground for numerous technical innovations over the years, will feature a class for cars running combustion engines powered by hydrogen and single fuel cell technology, with the aim of having the entire top category powered by hydrogen from 2030.
"Our sport has a tradition of bringing new technologies to the forefront of public perception in incredibly short timescales," said Pat Symonds, F1's chief technical officer, who will head the new hydrogen working group with the FIA's single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis, and Extreme E technical director Mark Grain.
"With climate change mitigation at the forefront of everyone's mind, we are committed to promoting sustainability," he continued, "and therefore need to explore all areas of decarbonisation of the mobility sector. This must include sustainable liquid hydrocarbon fuels, electrification, and hydrogen.
"This Working Group enables a collaboration which will allow us to gain first-hand experience and contribute to the understanding and development of the many aspects of hydrogen propulsion that Extreme H will embrace."
"The FIA Technical Department has experience and know-how in the area of hydrogen technology which we will bring to the Working Group, along with sporting, safety, and regulatory expertise," added Tombazis.
"As is currently the case across the entire FIA motorsport portfolio, we will take learnings from this collaboration for the benefit of our sport and mobility."
"It's a ground-breaking initiative," said Grain. "We look forward to collaborating with Formula 1 and Pat both technically and operationally, as we continue to champion new technologies and break boundaries on behalf of motorsport, with hydrogen at the forefront."