Can you use normal fuel in a Formula 1 car? The car is then fuelled for the race based on these calculations, with the aim to have enough fuel to make it to the end of the race with the least amount of extra weight being carried. Throughout the free practice sessions of a race weekend, different race pace will be used to simulate certain periods of the pre-planned race strategy, to allow the engineers to adjust their calculations accordingly. This is to stop teams trying to gain an advantage by keeping large amounts of fuel outside of the fuel tank. This has now made for more high octane races in the closing stages, as drivers know they have enough fuel on board to finish the race.Īnother change that was introduced for 2020 is cars are now only allowed to have 250ml of fuel outside of the fuel cell (the Formula 1 fuel tank is actually one single piece of rubber, referred to as a bladder) which is down from two litres in 2019. This was increased from the 105kg (231 pounds) allowed in 2018, as F1 bosses wanted drivers to be able to push their cars to the limit lap after lap, without having to worry about conserving fuel. As of 2019, the regulations stated that a car could use up to 110kg (242 pounds) of fuel per race.

Rather than being calculated in litres or gallons, how much fuel an F1 car uses is calculated in weight. The complete characteristics of F1 fuel can be found in the below table. Often there is a misconception that the fuel in an F1 car is a high octane concoction that is completely different to that used in a road car, however, this is not the case. The fuel used in an F1 car is a minimum of 87 octane, keeping in line with the requirement that the petrol used must be similar to what you would put in a road car at the pump.

This was a huge change for teams, with Mercedes power unit boss Hywel Thomas saying: “The change this year to go into the E10 is probably the largest regulation change we’ve had since 2014… it shouldn’t be underestimated how much work that took.” What octane fuel do F1 cars use?

With the new Formula 1 regulations for the 2022 season (which were delayed due to the impact of Covid-19) the sports governing body is aiming to push the bio-component ratio to 10%, with the ultimate aim being 100% sustainable fuel in the not too distant future. Max Verstappen of Netherlands and Red Bull Racing and Pierre Gasly of France and Red Bull Racing pose for a photo with heritage Esso and Mobil cans to commemorate the 1000th Formula One race during previews ahead of the Chinese GP at Shanghai International Circuit on Apin Shanghai, China.

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