I find the fact that the racing fuel used contains lead to be absolute insanity. We know there are zero safe limits but car go faster so oh well, fuck every community around a race track i guess.
If you’re worried about leaded fuels (and I agree, you should be) then don’t look up next time a small plane flies over… They’re almost all still using leaded Avgas :\
I am equally bothered by it’s usage in those fuels. People don’t realize how many farms are near airports because the sound doesn’t bother the plants so it’s cheaper for that purpose.
Since 1993, Formula One racing cars have been required to use fuel containing no more than 5 mg/L of lead.
-Wikipedia on Tetraethyllead
Other than in european countries where it’s completely banned and use alternatives do you have any source for F1 fuels being completely lead free? Everything I read says they use a wide array of formulations depending on the seasons rules but that ‘small amounts’ of TEL are still allowed if the host country allows it.
“Zero safe limits” has a lot to do with the scale. While it can’t be good for those in attendance, between the relative infrequency of races, limited number of cars on the field, and general use of batteries even in the ICE leagues (let alone caring about emissions for efficiency purposes), it is probably perfectly fine. Or, more pointedly, all the OTHER emissions are likely a much bigger concern.
Also, the number of safety and societal dangers of F1 go WELL beyond just dangerous fuel. Like, I enjoy watching the occasional race. But holy shit does F1 make pro wrestling look “not THAT bad…”
Yes the attendees are probably ‘mostly okay’ but the race track gets used all the time, in between races people practice on the track and there are smaller events. I do not believe that all that extra lead just magically goes away or becomes safe; we know for a fact that it doesn’t and it’s permanently toxic. And the only reason it’s being dumped into the atmosphere is car-go-faster. Fuck racing sports on that one point alone.
Their point has validity on any scale though… I’m generally not a fan of “zero tolerance” in any context, but the context here is ostensibly an intentionally equalized playing field, meaning that a zero tolerance policy on any aspect is inherently fair… So there’s really no excuse for accepting environmental hazards…
The assertion that allowance of additives (any additives that pose environmental/spectator hazards) has no benefit other than “car go fast”, is a solid point.
The waste from the cars, the maintenance, transportation, and the event itself go above and beyond. Yes, everyone totally keeps the fancy kitty litter around to get every single leak and so forth. Sure…
Not to mention the increased exhaust.
As for scale: Yes, it really does matter.
Rough numbers time.
According to chatgpt, an F1 car has a max fuel capacity of 110 kg per race. Obviously they try to avoid using all of that for a range of reasons, but sure. Not gonna bother to write the math, but that is about 39.29 gallons.
Roughly 20 cars on the starting grid, and let’s assume for the sake of easy math that every car used a full tank for practice, both rounds of qualifiers, and the race itself. So 4*39.29*20=3143 gallons per race for the cars alone.
Still chatgpt because the window is open, but the average sedan has 12-18 gallons tanks.
3143/12=261 cars. 261 cars use the amount of fuel used in a single F1 race in between trips to the gas station.
Still using chatgpt: average attendance numbers range from 10k to 100k spectators.
So yeah. The amount of fuel used in a given F1 race is a drop in the bucket relative to just how much is used by the cars that bring people to watch them. And I have intentionally not included the trucks used to transport the f1 cars or even the trains and boats.
And that is why, while it isn’t good and I am opposed to it, the lead that may or may not still be used in F1 fuel (chat gpt says no, random ass quora page says 5 mg/L. Whereas, if there were even trace amounts of lead in the gas that gets everyone else to the F1 race…
The environmental impact of an F1 race, let alone a season, is horrendous. Even if we are talking formula E or whatever the current pure electric league is. And fixating on older fuel composition in the light of that is, quite frankly, asinine and self defeating.
Hell, the dirt and dust around the more rural tracks probably has MUCH more lead than the fuel.
For Formula 1 cars it is 5mg/l. Old four star leaded has about 840mg/l but is now banned. In the UK low lead petrol is available from a small number of specialist garages for classic cars which cannot run on unleaded and contains about 75mg/l.
So while none is the best, this is a very small fraction in comparison as to what it used to be, and it also is to cover cross contamination purposes.
get those engines modified so they do take unleaded, shit is bad for anyone breathing it
edit: also, I’m not sure I completely buy it. Lead was only picked as an additive because it was the cheapest available. Before it was even picked, there were other economically and mechanically viable alternatives. The commercial aircraft industry switched to a different additive seamlessly once lead was legislated away. The studies about this are abundant and easily found; sounds like some old farts just managed to squeeze by with a bogus excuse that no-one scrutinized.
this article only states that their are restrictions on lead in the fuel which is true, they set a maximum allowable amount that varies on the year and host country.
I find the fact that the racing fuel used contains lead to be absolute insanity. We know there are zero safe limits but car go faster so oh well, fuck every community around a race track i guess.
If you’re worried about leaded fuels (and I agree, you should be) then don’t look up next time a small plane flies over… They’re almost all still using leaded Avgas :\
I am equally bothered by it’s usage in those fuels. People don’t realize how many farms are near airports because the sound doesn’t bother the plants so it’s cheaper for that purpose.
Formula 1 hasn’t used leaded fuel since the early 90s.
Why fucking lie
-Wikipedia on Tetraethyllead
Other than in european countries where it’s completely banned and use alternatives do you have any source for F1 fuels being completely lead free? Everything I read says they use a wide array of formulations depending on the seasons rules but that ‘small amounts’ of TEL are still allowed if the host country allows it.
Yea, the Wikipedia page on formula one cars
Formula one car
“Zero safe limits” has a lot to do with the scale. While it can’t be good for those in attendance, between the relative infrequency of races, limited number of cars on the field, and general use of batteries even in the ICE leagues (let alone caring about emissions for efficiency purposes), it is probably perfectly fine. Or, more pointedly, all the OTHER emissions are likely a much bigger concern.
Also, the number of safety and societal dangers of F1 go WELL beyond just dangerous fuel. Like, I enjoy watching the occasional race. But holy shit does F1 make pro wrestling look “not THAT bad…”
Yes the attendees are probably ‘mostly okay’ but the race track gets used all the time, in between races people practice on the track and there are smaller events. I do not believe that all that extra lead just magically goes away or becomes safe; we know for a fact that it doesn’t and it’s permanently toxic. And the only reason it’s being dumped into the atmosphere is car-go-faster. Fuck racing sports on that one point alone.
Not all series use the same fuel as formula 1, pretty much just formula 1&2
Their point has validity on any scale though… I’m generally not a fan of “zero tolerance” in any context, but the context here is ostensibly an intentionally equalized playing field, meaning that a zero tolerance policy on any aspect is inherently fair… So there’s really no excuse for accepting environmental hazards…
The assertion that allowance of additives (any additives that pose environmental/spectator hazards) has no benefit other than “car go fast”, is a solid point.
The waste from the cars, the maintenance, transportation, and the event itself go above and beyond. Yes, everyone totally keeps the fancy kitty litter around to get every single leak and so forth. Sure…
Not to mention the increased exhaust.
As for scale: Yes, it really does matter.
Rough numbers time.
So 4*39.29*20=3143gallons per race for the cars alone.3143 / 12 = 261cars. 261 cars use the amount of fuel used in a single F1 race in between trips to the gas station.So yeah. The amount of fuel used in a given F1 race is a drop in the bucket relative to just how much is used by the cars that bring people to watch them. And I have intentionally not included the trucks used to transport the f1 cars or even the trains and boats.
And that is why, while it isn’t good and I am opposed to it, the lead that may or may not still be used in F1 fuel (chat gpt says no, random ass quora page says 5 mg/L. Whereas, if there were even trace amounts of lead in the gas that gets everyone else to the F1 race…
The environmental impact of an F1 race, let alone a season, is horrendous. Even if we are talking formula E or whatever the current pure electric league is. And fixating on older fuel composition in the light of that is, quite frankly, asinine and self defeating.
Hell, the dirt and dust around the more rural tracks probably has MUCH more lead than the fuel.
For Formula 1 cars it is 5mg/l. Old four star leaded has about 840mg/l but is now banned. In the UK low lead petrol is available from a small number of specialist garages for classic cars which cannot run on unleaded and contains about 75mg/l.
So while none is the best, this is a very small fraction in comparison as to what it used to be, and it also is to cover cross contamination purposes.
get those engines modified so they do take unleaded, shit is bad for anyone breathing it
edit: also, I’m not sure I completely buy it. Lead was only picked as an additive because it was the cheapest available. Before it was even picked, there were other economically and mechanically viable alternatives. The commercial aircraft industry switched to a different additive seamlessly once lead was legislated away. The studies about this are abundant and easily found; sounds like some old farts just managed to squeeze by with a bogus excuse that no-one scrutinized.
Formula One hasn’t used leaded gasoline since the 90’s.
The fuel they use is actually very similar to the gas that anyone can buy at the pump.
https://flowracers.com/blog/what-fuel-do-f1-cars-use/
this article only states that their are restrictions on lead in the fuel which is true, they set a maximum allowable amount that varies on the year and host country.