Zak, you became CEO of McLaren in 2018 - what would you say is the new angle you brought to the company?
Z.B.: First and foremost refocusing on the fans. Ultimately, our ecosystem starts with the racefan. Involving fans is not something that we or the sport generally had done particularly well. So we are now trying to be more open, inclusive and transparent, irrespective of the racing series. This was our starting principle, which then found application within the team, with our sponsor partners, and so on. We wanted to reposition McLaren Racing.
McLaren Racing has achieved 22% reduction in greenhouse emissions since 2021. How did you manage to do that?
K.W.: We started by getting our house in order. For example, we converted lighting at our headquarters, the McLaren Technology Centre, to LEDs, saving enough electricity to power 100 average UK homes for a whole year. We also looked at the impact of our freight logistical program and are transporting more race equipment by sea freight which meant a 9% reduction in air freight emissions last year. Additionally, our trucks are transitioning to biofuels, and we are looking into enhancing our renewable energy use in all our on-site operations.
One of the challenges we have faced in progressing certain sustainability projects is an unintended consequence of the cost cap: most sustainability-focused initiatives and costs currently sit within the cost cap, which means that teams have to make an impossibly difficult decision: should they spend money on developing the race car, or on furthering their sustainability goals.
In the last six months, the teams, the FIA, and F1 have been working hard on excluding certain sustainability initiatives from the cost cap - such as installing renewable energy solutions, or the monitoring of the teams’ carbon footprint – but these exclusions are still very narrow and we need to see a step change if we want to accelerate towards our sport’s ambitious goals in this space.
Z.B.: We are working closely with the FIA and F1 and it is obviously vital to protect the integrity of the cost cap and avoid creating any loopholes that could allow teams to buy performance at the expense of sustainability. We have been very clear that sustainability and achieving our ambitious goals is a big priority for us, but I am unsure whether you can say the same about some of the other teams. The reality of operating in our ultra-competitive sport is that some will look for performance loopholes, and obviously we cannot be put at a disadvantage on track because we decided to prioritize sustainability.
What is the road map to halve your emissions by 2030 and reach net-zero by 2040?
K.W.: We need to work collaboratively with the FIA, F1 and other teams to influence the 2026 regulations in a way that incentivizes sustainability, concerning, for instance, the number and composition of tires, which at the moment is very wasteful. The racing car itself is naturally a focal point.
36% of our total carbon footprint comes from the materials we use to make the car. So there is huge scope to have an impact by moving towards more recyclable and environmentally friendly materials and by extending the lifespan of the materials we use. We have a lot of data at our disposal and constantly strive to understand this data better in order to develop alternative materials that will help decrease the car’s emissions.
Our race logistics and team travel make up 23% of our impact. We need to build on the reductions we have made to date, looking at ways to reduce what we send to races, further shifting from air to sea freight and continuing to explore how we can reduce team travel and carefully control how many people we send to races. Clearly as F1 evolves the race calendar, this will influence how we go about this.
The other key area of focus is working with our suppliers, who account for 24% of our footprint to decarbonise their operations and work with us to provide lower carbon goods and services and improving our ability to account for this through better data.
At the moment our overall carbon footprint is around 66,000 tons, which in the overall scheme of things is relatively low. But we are convinced that if we keep actively working on becoming more sustainable by following the latest science and technology, we will reduce that to an absolute minimum. Motorsport is at the forefront of innovation in automotive technology and manufacturing, and we believe we have an extraordinary opportunity to find new solutions to sustainability challenges and accelerate the deployment of clean energies . We must take our racing mindset and apply it to reaching the solutions that the world—which is literally on fire as we speak—desperately needs. This is crucial for our credibility in this space and we have some exciting projects in the pipeline to do this.
We are also constantly looking at the highly visible things that give confidence to our people, our partners and our fans that we are working on this agenda. We have reduced our F1 waste by 19% since 2021 and we are working on improving the sustainability of our team kit, fan merchandise, hospitality and guest experiences.
How does F1 integrate the developments in sustainable practices occurring in other racing platforms, such as Formula E and Extreme E?
K.W.: Everyone is playing their part within their own boundaries and spheres. Just as F1 has things to learn from the electrified platforms, they in turn have something to learn from F1 cars too. For example, they are integrating the technology F1 developed during Covid-19 for controlling the race strategy remotely.
When it comes to sustainable events, the E-series have the privilege of being able to start from scratch, whereas at F1 we have the challenge of having to integrate novel practices into a well-established structure and set up. There are important learning opportunities for us here, especially when it comes to making the transition visible to the fans and nudging them in the right direction.
Z.B.: Through Extreme E, McLaren has taken advantage of its great exposure to promote a forward-looking mindset, which, although difficult to quantify, has undeniably brought a great deal of good. We are extremely proud to have our first ever female race driver in Emma Gilmour, for example, and are committed to promoting gender equality in our sport more generally. And then the racing itself is very exciting and new: we had never done anything like it before.
McLaren Racing is uniquely placed as we are the only F1 team that races across five series: F1, IndyCar, our two electric series Formula E and Extreme E, as well as eSports. That gives us an incredible opportunity to share insights, learnings and best practice around sustainability and use our global platform to advocate for positive change.
Do you get feedback from fans on the positive influence you have had on their attitude towards sustainability?
Z.B.: Yes, especially in the field of mental health. This is something Lando led with the other drivers. Talking openly about mental health can still be a bit of a taboo and involves topics that are occasionally awkward or uncomfortable to speak about. So I am really proud of our drivers speaking up on this topic. I think we have done an important job at breaking down some of these barriers by promoting sincere and transparent conversations. And we have had a hugely positive response from our fans who often tell us that this has helped them on their own mental health journeys, which is of course amazing to hear.
Why did McLaren sign up to the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework?
K.W.: We signed up to the framework at COP26 to show our unequivocal commitment to the race-to-zero emissions by 2040 – and we are the only F1 team to have signed up to this element.
In a few words, what is your message to your fans and anyone who could get inspired by your sustainability efforts?
Z.B.:
Sustainability is a journey that never reaches its final destination. It is a race with no finish line. We are in the racing business to entertain fans, to help our partners expand their business, and, last but not least, to produce a direct and indirect positive impact to make the world a better place. These pillars are all equally important and we want our fans to join us on this journey, as we can only make a difference if everyone gets involved.
