McLaren has led the charge in revolutionizing F1 by making their entire setup as environment-friendly as possible. The team has been active in developing parts that help diminish carbon emissions while also adopting various other environment-friendly activities, such as opting for dynamic sponsorship via digital panels. To continue pushing the agenda, McLaren will now introduce cockpit marking panels made out of recycled carbon fiber (rCF) when racing reaches the United States of America.
The move will be in line with McLaren’s efforts to develop a fully sustainable car by 2030. F1 has made ‘Net Zero Carbon’ their topmost priority, and this is a goal they want to achieve by 2030. As such, McLaren stands as the most prominent team, taking important steps towards achieving the goal as soon as possible. The Woking outfit has teamed up with ‘V Carbon’ for the production of rCF, as the company stands as the pioneer of producing sustainable CF with hopes of bringing global carbon emissions down to a minimum.
McLaren ready to feature a first-of-its-kind cockpit in US
McLaren has long been set the benchmark for bringing about a sustainable change in F1, keeping in line with the needs of the time. In 1981, they became the first team to race with a car whose chassis was made entirely out of carbon fiber. In 2020, the Woking-based team introduced a bio-based flax fiber seat in Lando Norris‘ car and continues to use it to this day. Keeping in line with the same, the team will now introduce a cockpit made out of rCF to further reduce the carbon emissions of the sport.
Per a report by Auto Hebdo, the revolutionary new cockpit will greatly add to the environmental benefits of using sustainable materials. Every tonne of material used for the production of rCF will result in a 90% reduction in life cycle emissions as opposed to the normal carbon fiber, which has about 27 tonnes of carbon emissions for every tonne of material used. Both Norris and Oscar Piastri‘s cars will feature the new cockpit in Austin.
The move could soon see other teams adopt a similar practice as it would contribute to F1’s goal of Net Zero Carbon by 2023. Each team is doing its part in becoming as environment-friendly as possible, with notable drivers such as Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton calling for the need to adopt sustainable practices in the sport. McLaren has long led the charge, and the latest revelation is not the only progress they have made toward becoming a fully sustainable team on the grid.
McLaren’s move to bring digital sponsorship to their cars
Becoming the first team on the grid to introduce rCF to their cars, McLaren will once again set the tone for bringing a positive change in the sport. However, it is the only first-of-its-kind move by the team this year. During the Bahrain GP, McLaren introduced rotating digital sponsorships on the MCL60. The team would fit two digital screens created by Seamless Digital on either side of the car’s cockpit.
Both screens would be visible from the onboard cameras and would feature all of their sponsors in a rotating manner. The trial of the tech came a year earlier, in 2022, but the weight implications meant they had to wait for almost a year before putting the tech on their car. The Bahrain GP saw the use of the tech for the first time in F1 as McLaren once again brought an important change to the way teams operate in the sport.
