The Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team is pleased to announce a major expansion of our global carbon removals portfolio – a bold, multi-year commitment that aims to advance the development and shape the future of high-integrity climate solutions. This expansion represents one of the most diverse and globally distributed carbon removals portfolios in global sport and is a significant milestone in our multi-year removals strategy.
Our carbon removals portfolio is designed to maximise synergies with the F1 race calendar, with projects across key regions including Brazil, Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, alongside projects in Denmark and India – aiming to deliver impact in the communities and environments in which we compete.
Seven new projects across six technology types focused on securing durable removals have been added to our portfolio, including solutions across the spectrum such as Direct Air Capture, Biomass Storage Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage, Biochar, Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement and Enhanced Rock Weathering.
Carbon removals remain essential to addressing the small proportion of residual emissions that we cannot eliminate through reductions. Informed by the Oxford Offsetting Principles, we are investing in the technologies and systems required to scale high-quality carbon removals.
In total across our portfolio, we are investing in approximately 18,900 tCO2e of nature-based, hybrid and engineered projects to meet our target of Race Team Control Net Zero by 2030.
This positions our team at the forefront of the rapidly advancing carbon removals sector, as F1 moves towards its Net Zero ambitions for 2030 and beyond.
The expanded portfolio will be curated and delivered by CUR8, a leading carbon removal marketplace that rigorously assesses and verifies carbon removal projects to ensure project delivery. Their expertise supports our commitment to ensuring durability, transparency and best practice methodology across all projects.
Our commitments are intended to support the development of a stable, high-integrity ecosystem capable of delivering the volumes required to meet global climate targets. By investing now, we are accelerating the development and commercial viability of durable and credible climate solutions.
Our ambition is shared by our Team Partners including Signify, UBS and Nasdaq who are similarly committed to advancing high-integrity climate solutions. We also recognise the pioneering efforts of Meta AI and Microsoft, whose leadership has accelerated the carbon removals industry.
Speaking at Economist Impact’s Sustainability Week yesterday, alongside CUR8 and two of the pioneering projects in the portfolio, Carboneers and InPlanet, Alice Ashpitel, Head of Sustainability at Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team, said: “Emissions reduction remains our priority, and high-quality carbon removals are essential for tackling the residual emissions that remain. By investing early across a diverse set of technologies and regions, we’re contributing to upscaling durable climate solutions while supporting the communities and environments in which we race. As a team, we are determined to engineer change on and off the track, so I’m proud to see our ambitious portfolio aiming to deliver meaningful impact far beyond our world.”
Seven new projects across six technology types focused on securing durable removals have been added to our portfolio, including:
Direct Air Capture (DAC)
DAC uses a combination of mechanical and chemical processes to pull CO2 directly from ambient air so it can be permanently stored – typically underground in deep geological reservoirs.
Biomass Storage
Biomass storage significantly slows or stops biomass decomposition, by processing it into more stable forms and storing it in environments where it breaks down extremely slowly, keeping its carbon out of the atmosphere.
Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage
BioCCS captures CO2 from industrial biomass processes, such as biogas production, for durable removal and geological storage, in turn enabling net carbon removal.
Biochar
Biochar is produced by heating biomass to high temperatures, and in the absence of oxygen when added to soils, it is stable for long periods and improves the fertility of the soil.
Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (OAE)
OAE adds alkaline materials to seawater in a controlled environment to increase its capacity to absorb and store CO2 as stable bicarbonate.
Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW)
ERW accelerates the natural process whereby silicate rocks react with CO2 and rainwater, forming stable carbon minerals and bicarbonates.