This year, F1 racing has seen a lot of significant changes in the rules and regulations. Although the reintroduction of ground effects to overcome the issue of dirty air and the wider wheels have hit headlines, the biggest change of them all is that Formula 1 has moved to E10 (also known as gasohol), a fuel mixture consisting of 90% fossil fuel and 10% ethanol for the 2022 season. This is going to be a crucial step towards their aim of building a 100% sustainable power unit by 2025. The goal is to achieve Net Zero Carbon emissions by 2030. E10 is not a newcomer in the general automotive industry though, as it has already become a popular fuel across many countries including India due to its low CO2 emissions. E10 fuel was introduced to assist teams to transition to more bioethanol-based sustainable fuels. IndyCar is currently using E85 fuel (85 percent ethanol), so Formula 1 is a little behind in this sense. IndyCar, on the other hand, enables refuelling, which compensates for the reduced energy density of the fuel, which limits how far the cars can travel on a full tank.
The biofuel ethanol used in E10 fuel comes from agricultural land (currently research is being done on manufacturing ethanol from seaweed as well). It is manufactured from biological sources, like wheat, barley, corn, etc. These cereals are grounded to extract the starch, a polysaccharide consisting of glucose units. Various enzymes are used to break down this starch into sugar, which is then fermented using yeast to produce ethyl alcohol, or simply ethanol.
The use of E10 fuel reduces the power of Formula One engines marginally. The engine manufacturers discovered that E10 fuel resulted in a loss of up to 20 horsepower when used in their engines from 2021. This may not seem like much, but in Formula 1, 20 horsepower can make a big difference. Many engine manufacturers, including Ferrari, were believed to have clawed back most of their horsepower after redesigning their 2022 engines in early 2022. This was only reasonable, as F1 engineers are constantly seeking ways to recoup losses caused by regulatory changes. Formula One teams have also discovered that the E10 fuel is less efficient than the E5 fuel they previously used. According to studies, utilising E10 results in a minor reduction in fuel economy (between 1 and 3 percent). The same can be said about the ordinary car on the road. But whereas this may not matter much on public roads, it can make or break a race on an F1 track. Formula One cars work on razor-thin margins, and they are typically fueled as sparingly as possible to conserve weight and go faster. F1 teams would have to increase the amount of gasoline added to the car to guarantee it lasts the race distance while using a less efficient fuel. This loss in efficiency happens because ethanol has a lower energy density than regular gasoline. This means that cars operating on E10 fuel consume fuel at a quicker rate than cars running on pure gasoline to go the same distance.
With the advent of E10 gasoline, one of the main issues teams faced was figuring out how to actually build the engines. Because E10 fuel is heavier than E5, the extra weight had to be taken into account. Due to the lower efficiency of E10 fuel, teams would have to put more fuel in the car to cover the same distance. Due to the higher ethanol percentage of E10 fuel, it may become hotter towards the end of a race. These higher temperatures may induce increased evaporation of the fuel in the tank, which could cause problems with the fuel pump. Other fuel-related components also needed to be changed, so it wasn’t simply the engine that needed to be changed.
In 2022, an engine freeze was implemented until the end of the 2025 season. During an engine freeze, no team can change their engines or upgrade them in any major way until the freeze is over, which is currently scheduled for the end of the 2025 season.
The engine freeze was implemented to assist teams in dealing with the shrinking budget caps. Because no one on the grid is allowed to work on their engines, teams will no longer have to invest money in engine development. It’s a good approach to level the playing field in terms of where each team’s engine is at, but it can put those who are suffering behind until the freeze is lifted.
The FIA is already actively engaged in discussions with fuel companies about creating the fuel in the quantities needed for the championship, as well as scaling up production for wider social use. Theoretically, the E10 is 100% sustainable — meaning it can easily be used in any modern ICE without any specific technological modifications to itself.
The E10 mixture will be laboratory-created, using components that either come from a carbon capture scheme, municipal waste, or non-food biomass, while achieving greenhouse gas emissions savings relative to fossil-derived petrol of at least 65%.
The E10 blend has been used in several countries, and its use has been primarily driven by the several world energy shortages that have taken place since the 1973 oil crisis. Formula 1 too chose to adjust to the current fuel choices for the sake of the environment and sustainability.
