F1 CEO vows there will never be an electric car on the grid

As the automotive world goes electric, Formula 1 has a choice in front of it: Shift to electric cars and potentially compete with the FIA’s Formula E, or resist following the path most of its OEM partners’ consumer-facing vehicles are taking. CEO Stefano Domenicali’s mind is set, and he recently said there would never be an electric car on the grid at an F1 Grand Prix.

Speaking with Italian newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore, Domenicali said the sport “will never go electric” but noted that F1 would achieve its goal of carbon neutrality through sustainable synthetic fuels, known as e-fuel. The sport is working with partners to develop the fuels, slated to be used from 2026.

It’s unclear what impact the fuels will have on performance, sound, and competition, but expect the sort of big changes F1 went through when the hybrid era started almost a decade ago. The racing series moved from V8s to turbocharged 1.6-liter V6 power units with hybrid energy recovery systems in 2014, which used far less fuel.