What is the future for motorsport powertrains? The answer is not simple and, over the next decade, there will undoubtedly be some false starts and missed deadlines, but all in the name of progress.
Electrification, though it has its place, will not answer every series’ needs. Formula E will keep doing its thing, and other series, particularly those that use touring car base models, will probably move that way as well.
For others, electrification is simply not viable. Formula 1 and sportscars, for example, are all likely to keep internal combustion engines until at least the end of the decade, albeit with a hybrid element. Though, as was announced recently, the FIA World Rally Championship has dropped its expensive and problem-prone hybrid system; new powertrain rules beyond the current homologation cycle are still to be confirmed.
That said, racing runs on marketing, particularly for car manufacturers, and it is simply not acceptable, or responsible, to keep burning fossil fuels, no matter how small the quantities are on a global level. This leaves two viable options: hydrogen (which the ACO is pursuing for endurance racing) and carbon neutral, or at least low carbon, bio or synthetic fuels. It is these latter types of fuel that categories large and small are turning to.
Spot the difference
First up, it is worth breaking down the difference between fuel types, as the terminology is important.
To start, we have biofuels, which covers first and second-generation biofuels. This differentiates between fuels created from food crops, such as corn or sugar cane (first
