For their image and their future, how French motor sports try to set an example in environmental matters

“It’s a sensitive subject, because some consider that motor sports no longer have any reason to exist”, concedes Sébastien Poirier, president of the French Motorcycling Federation (FFM). While the Formula season 1 resumes Saturday 2 March in Bahrain and that of MotoGP will begin the following week in Qatar, motor sports are still singled out for their environmental impact. Across France, the federations are committed to reducing their carbon footprint and, above all, that of spectators, whose travel is the main source of pollution.

“In the collective imagination, car racing and sustainable development are not compatible”, regrets Jérôme Lachaze, CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) manager of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), organizer of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. However, according to the environmental report commissioned by the French auto and motorcycle sports federations, presented in December 2023, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions linked to pilot driving only represent 7% of total vehicle emissions. a competition. A small percentage compared to that of the movement of spectators and competitors (82%), but on which the federations are working, for example by imposing low-carbon fuels. “Motor sports are an opportunity. They have advanced the cause of safety and today, we are working on innovations to decarbonize our mobility”assured Sébastien Poirier during the presentation of the balance sheet.

Some initiatives are thus taken at the national level. The formula 4 French championship has become the first single-seater championship in the world to use a 100% renewable biofuel, motoball will switch its junior category to electric and the ACO is participating in the development of hydrogen cars, with the ambition of dedicating a category to them during of the 24 Le Mans hours in 2027. “Motor sports have been so singled out that they now anticipate and have very proactive attitudesobserves Didier Lehénaff, founder of the association A green sport for my planet. I had a very strong opinion in the past about these sports : for me, we had to stop these delusions. But while working on the subject, I realized that focusing on tires and fuel is avoiding the root of the problem, which remains the movement of spectators, as in many other sports. “

Public transport lines that do not see the light of day

If the auto and motorcycle federations are pleased that 64% of their events are organized in municipalities of 5 000 inhabitants or fewer, which has a positive impact on their economic dynamism, this data has the disadvantage of a more complicated transportation of spectators, the public transport network being less developed in these rural or peri-urban areas.

The Paul-Ricard circuit in Castellet (Var), which hosted the French Formula Grand Prix from 2018 to 2022 1 and a lot of traffic jams, is an example of this. Located in the heart of the Sainte-Baume regional natural park, it is very poorly served by public transport.

“We have been lobbying communities for years to push for the creation of public transport lines, because we are far from urban centers, but they do not see the light of day.”

Nathalie Reitzer, CSR director of the Paul-Ricard circuit

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While awaiting their possible creation, the circuit therefore tries, in its own way, to reduce its consumption, by recycling its bio-waste into compost used to develop the biodiversity of the place, or by installing photovoltaic panels and beehives. On the issue of transport, the circuit also tries to support its customers, track tenants and promoters of major events, with an eco-responsible event charter.

“There is a reduction in the price of track rental if they commit to following this charter. We ask them, for example, to use the same signage from event to event without producing new ones and refuel all their vehicles with biodiesel, which we sell to them, before leaving, so as not to do so with fossil diesel on the road”, continues Nahtalie Reitzer. The Paul-Ricard circuit has thus obtained 3-star environmental accreditation, the best possible level, from the International Automobile Federation (FIA), as have the Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium) and Yas Marina circuits. (Abu Dhabi) for example, as well as the Formula championship 1. These three stars are not, however, a primary criterion for F1, which no longer stops at Le Castellet, while some of the circuits it visits do not have this distinction.

Of the green tickets at Le Mans

The circuit of 24 Heures du Mans has better luck in terms of transport connections, with a tram stop nearby. The Automobile Club de l’Ouest is setting up green tickets to reward spectators who make the effort to come with a low-carbon means of transport. “This concerns hybrid or electric vehicles, carpooling from three people in the car, the train, as well as the tram or bicycle for those coming from Le Mans or neighboring towns, lists Jérôme Lachaze. These holders of green tickets must provide proof of their travel with these modes of transport to obtain the 10% reduction on their place”. In 2023, 3 700 spectators took advantage of this device, compared to 2 100 in 2023. There will be at least 10 500 in 2024, or around 8% of the total public.

“We also learn from our mistakes with this system, because last year, for example, we had people who had, of course, come to Le Mans by train, but who had taken the plane from the United States to arrive in France. From now on, the green tickets are reserved for mainland France and European countries. For those who come by tram, you need proof of address to show that they live near Le Mans and that the tram was their main means of transport., adds Jérôme Lachaze. According to the CSR manager, these measures in favor of sustainable development are “essential for the acceptability of events” motorsport, even if not all audiences have the same sensitivity. “Bikers are generally passionate and come on motorbikes. Trucks are the same : there is real pride in coming with your truck, sometimes decorated. We won’t be able to convert everyone and the enthusiasts also make up the sport.” he concedes.

“Sporting events will only have meaning if they show that they have a positive impact, with innovation on cars, tires… There is popular pressure and that of financial or institutional partners, who will no longer want to associate their name with the event if we do not demonstrate that it is aligned with their sustainable development strategy.”

Jérôme Lachaze, CSR manager of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest

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Due to financial difficulties, the Formula championship 4 German team disappeared last season and interest in single-seaters is decreasing in Germany. The fact that no German driver performs in Formula 1 in recent years is not for nothing, but, according to Haas driver Nico Hülkenberg, “The perception of the car industry – and what politicians tell people – is that it is responsible for climate change and is not environmentally friendly. I think that rubs off on motorsport and Formula 1″.

“It’s young people who have the ecological reflex”

To preserve the future of their disciplines, the French auto and motorcycle federations say they can count on their 150 000 licensed. According to their environmental report, out of 10 000 respondents, 73% say that environmental issues are “important”. “It’s not old, but I find that for 3-4 years, people are more careful”, confirms Olivier Gatineau, president of the Daytona Motors motocross association, based in Bondues, in the Lille metropolis. His association plants trees to offset its carbon emissions and its drivers organize carpooling whenever they can to get to the coast, two to three times a week. “Before, you went to a cross country field, you found cans left there by guys who had done their oil change. I am in the process of setting up containers on the grounds to collect used tires, oils, which “have nothing to do with normal trash. But it’s quite expensive and complicated”, he adds.

The younger generations encourage older practitioners in these ecological initiatives. “Today it is the young people who have more of an ecological reflex. When they arrive, they put their carpet under the motorbike to protect the ground from possible drops of gasoline, while for the older ones, it is less natural. But if we want our sport to continue, things have to change.”assures Olivier Gatineau, recalling that the Enduropale du Touquet (Pas-de-Calais) can no longer be run in the dunes and is now only organized on the beach.

And if the presidents of the FFSA and the FFM recalled in December that their sports represented “only” 0.3% of greenhouse gas emissions linked to transport on a national scale, international comparisons are lacking. In 2019, the Formula 1 had, for example, measured its carbon footprint by taking into account the GHG emissions of its 10 teams, 20 cars and 23 sleeves… but not those of his spectators.