Returning for the 2025 season and 75th anniversary year this weekend, the Formula 1 sport has released a round-up on the progress made towards its sustainability and social commitments last year. In the form of 2024 Impact Report, which will be released later this year, the progress made towards its sustainability and social commitments with Net Zero as the goal for 2030, the Formula 1 sport has – on the environmental front – made significant investments in Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) as part of its ultra-efficient logistics strategy. 
It has invested significantly in SAF as it delivers an estimated 80 percent reduction in associated carbon emissions per flight compared to the use of conventional aviation fuel. The combined investment in SAF with Global Partners DHL and Qatar Airways reduced total related emissions by more than 8,000 tCO2e (tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent), an approximate 19 percent reduction in related emissions– compared to traditional aviation fuel – for the air freight charter programme operated by Formula 1 across the flyaway events of the 2024 season.
The delivery of innovative low-carbon energy generation systems using renewable sources such as hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), biofuel, solar panels, and battery began testing in 2023. Last year, they were used at the Red Bull Ring, the Hungarian Grand Prix and the Italian Grand Prix in Monza. For the 2025 season, a programme will be rolled out to reduce more than 90 percent of carbon emissions at all European Grands Prix in key areas such as the Paddock, Pit Lane, and Event Technical Centre. 
As part of the sport’s ongoing efforts to reduce carbon emissions associated with travel and logistics, improvements were made to the geographical flow of races around the world in 2024. This included agreement from the Promoter in Japan to move the Suzuka race back from September to April to fit with the Asia Pacific segment of the schedule, while Azerbaijan took its slot to align with Singapore. The organisers of the Qatar Grand Prix also approved a move to the penultimate spot in the schedule, back-to-back with Abu Dhabi. From 2026 the Canadian Grand Prix will be hosted earlier in the year and the Monaco Grand Prix will take place on the first full weekend in June, consolidating the European leg of the F1 season into one period, removing an additional transatlantic crossing and delivering significant associated carbon reductions. 
Last year, F2 and F3 cars ran on 55 percent Aramco advanced sustainable fuel and the FIA medical and safety cars operated on 40 percent of it. In 2025, the F2 and F3 cars will move to 100 percent use of it, ahead of the Formula 1 cars adopting the fuels in 2026 in the new hybrid engines that will take to the circuit next year. 
The technology has implications for the automotive industry and existing petrol cars, as the fuel developed by Formula 1 will be a ‘drop-in’ that can be used in road cars without modification and will serve as a sustainable alternative of global benefit. 
Throughout the 2024 season, the cars all operated with FSC approved Pirelli tyres, which means the natural rubber in the type complies with the FSC’s strict standards for sustainable forestry. Some 80 percent of promoters powered aspects of their events using alternative energy sources such as solar panels, green tariffs, and biofuels. Over 90 precent of promoters began offering greener ways to travel to the race.
On the social commitments front, the Formula 1 sport – in 2024 season – marked the fourth year of its F1 Engineering Scholarships programme, which would support 50 underrepresented students by the end of 2025. The Scholarship covers the entire cost of the student’s tuition, together with living expenses for the full duration of their degree, enabling them to focus on their studies. It also offers them support to set them up for their careers, including work experience with one of the ten Formula 1 teams, as well as career workshops and mentoring. 
Formula 1 also launched the global education programme ‘Learning Sectors’ in collaboration with the British Council to inspire young learners in Brazil, India, South Africa, and the UK to pursue STEM subjects. The year long programme kicks off this year with 130,000 students in 700 schools. 
F1 Academy, the sport’s female-only series, competed alongside Formula 1 at seven events last year, completing 21 races. Through F1 Academy’s partnership with the international karting series, Champions of the Future, female participation in racing increased from five percent in 2023 to 25 percent in 2024. 
The sport also continued with hosting apprenticeships and workshops, such as The Next Grand Prix challenge in association with the Social Mobility Business Partnership (SMBP) charity, which challenges students aged between 16 and 18 from a breadth of backgrounds to assume a business leadership role and deliver a fictional bid for a new Formula One World Championship location. 
Ellen Jones, Head of ESG at Formula 1, said, “Innovation and community drove Formula 1's work in 2024. We are thrilled to outline our progress and continued work in this space. Formula 1 as a sport is uniquely positioned to take action through our global reach and technological leadership.”
 
 
 

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Global automotive technology supplier Marelli has marked the 30th anniversary of its flagship electronics manufacturing plant in Guangzhou. Established in 1996 as Marelli’s inaugural manufacturing investment in China, the facility has transformed from a baseline assembly outpost into a major smart manufacturing and hardware-software validation centre.

Over the past three decades, the facility has expanded from a single operational production line with approximately 100 technicians into a 30,000-square-meter automotive electronics campus.

Today, the facility employs nearly 1,000 people and runs 66 active production lines, manufacturing components for both localised Chinese vehicle programs and global vehicle architectures.

The campus houses an adjacent, fully integrated Engineering Center that holds more than 100 registered patents. The manufacturing framework integrates high-precision assembly lines, automated optical bonding modules and site-wide rooftop solar arrays designed to manage factory energy overheads and lower operational carbon density.

The Guangzhou plant functions as a strategic industrialisation hub focused on low-cost, scalable architectures suited for the industry transition toward connected, software-defined vehicles (SDVs). The facility specialises in several high-growth hardware and display segments like advanced display solutions based on Mini-LED and MicroLED technologies. Additional key platforms include electronic control units (ECUs) for body and seat systems, zone control units, as well as digital cockpits, digital instrument clusters, and 5G telematics systems.

Ravi Tallapragada, President of Marelli’s Electronics business unit, said, “Our Guangzhou plant is a cornerstone of Marelli’s Electronics business in China and a powerful example of how innovation and advanced manufacturing can drive sustainable growth. Over the past 30 years, the team has continuously evolved its capabilities, developing advanced technologies and scalable platforms that address the rapid transformation of the automotive industry, building on long-standing collaboration with customers and partners. I’m proud of our team in Guangzhou and confident that the plant will continue to play a key role in shaping Marelli’s future globally.”

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Bosch MC Battery Service Innovations, a 50:50 joint venture established by Bosch and Mitsubishi Corporation, has secured its first commercial customer for its ‘Battery-as-a-Service’ (BaaS) solution. The platform has officially gone live with the opening of an automated energy service hub in Chizhou, Anhui Province.

The new logistical hub is owned and operated by Shanghai Lingzhou Technology Co. The site acts as a high-volume transit point configured specifically for heavy-duty electric trucks, allowing operators to either swap out spent battery packs or utilise fast-charging bays within a few minutes. The Chizhou station currently processes more than 100 commercial electric trucks per day.

The commercial roll-out aligns with rapid fleet electrification trends in China, where New Energy Vehicles (NEVs) accounted for nearly 30 percent of all heavy-duty truck sales in 2025. Internal market projections from Bosch indicate that over 50 percent of new truck registrations in the country will be fully electric by 2030.

The joint venture's business model separates the acquisition cost of the vehicle chassis from the battery chemistry, mitigating a core hurdle for corporate logistics fleets: accounting for unpredictable battery degradation and its subsequent impact on total cost of ownership (TCO) and residual vehicle asset valuation.

The operational framework of the joint venture utilises a collaborative technical and commercial division between both partners. As per the understanding, Bosch will provide the core software stack for the platform. Real-time operating metrics – including local ambient temperature profiles, instantaneous current loads and historical charging frequencies – are beamed continuously to cloud servers. The algorithms evaluate the exact state of health (SoH) of individual packs, run predictive wear modelling to catch cell stress anomalies and dynamically manage fast-charging protocols to minimise thermal strain.

On the other hand, Mitsubishi manages localised market deployment, regulatory anchoring and downstream financial underwriting. The data harvested through the tracking platform is being funnelled into integrated aftermarket networks to build commercial products, including predictive hardware maintenance contracts, connected usage-based fleet insurance packages and secondary-life battery storage applications.

Thomas Pauer, President of the Bosch Power Solutions division, said, "With this service, Bosch and Mitsubishi Corporation can create real added value for fleets. Although the state of health can decline due to ageing and many charging cycles, our solution allows fleet operators to keep an eye on the battery condition of their vehicles – a decisive criterion for the everyday suitability and total cost of ownership of a fleet."

Qian Yang, General Manager of the joint venture’s local subsidiary in China, said, "Our service hits a local nerve: We support battery-electric vehicles in the fleet business. This holistic approach accelerates the electrification of fleets and optimises the entire battery lifecycle. The combined expertise of Mitsubishi and Bosch is a perfect match for our customers."

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L&T Electronic Products & Systems (LTEPS) has formed a strategic partnership with Israeli electric propulsion technology firm EVR Motors to co-develop, manufacture and distribute next-generation electric vehicle traction motors for the Indian market.

The collaboration will focus on industrialising traction motors optimised for regional conditions. The designs are engineered for high operational efficiency, compact physical packaging and a reduced reliance on rare-earth materials. The product line will cater to multiple transport segments, ranging from electric two-wheelers and three-wheelers to passenger cars and heavy commercial vehicles.

The traction motors will be manufactured at the LTEPS production facility in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. When paired with LTEPS's indigenously designed Motor Control Units (MCUs), the combined hardware will provide automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) with a complete, integrated EV powertrain and drivetrain solution.

LTEPS is a business unit of Larsen & Toubro that specialises in the design, engineering and manufacturing of high-reliability electronic systems across the aerospace, defence, industrial and energy sectors.

EVR Motors specialises in proprietary electric motor topologies, utilising a patented Trapezoidal Stator radial flux architecture designed to reduce weight, size and material volume while maximizing power density.

Prashant Jain, Head of L&T Electronic Products & Systems, said, “This partnership reflects our commitment to developing indigenous, high‑performance solutions that support India’s clean mobility ambitions. By combining advanced motor innovation with indigenous motor control unit, we bridge the gap between cutting‑edge technology and real‑world deployment across India’s EV landscape.”

Opher Doron, CEO, EVR Motors, stated, “Our collaboration with LTEPS enables us to scale innovation responsibly – delivering traction motor solutions that are not only technologically superior, but also manufacturable, reliable and tailored for Indian mobility needs.”

Sajal Kishore, Managing Director, EVR India, added, “India’s electric mobility transformation requires system-level powertrain integration and deep localisation. The collaboration between EVR Motors and L&T will enable next-generation electric powertrain solutions across mobility segments.”

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Maruti Suzuki India has established an Advanced Manufacturing Lab (AML) at the Government Industrial Training Institute (ITI) in Hassangarh, Rohtak. The facility is designed to train approximately 200 students in its first year of operation under the company's corporate social responsibility (CSR) skill development programme.

The laboratory replicates automotive manufacturing environments to provide technical instruction in vehicle assembly, welding, industrial painting, machining, mechatronics and workplace safety protocols.

The project is aligned with the central government's Skill India mission and aims to prepare students for technical positions within the domestic automotive manufacturing sector.

The facility was opened during an event attended by Rohtak Deputy Commissioner Sachin Gupta and executives from Maruti Suzuki. During the ceremony, the company distributed formal apprenticeship offers to selected students who will join Maruti Suzuki's production facilities upon completing their coursework.

Maruti Suzuki currently provides infrastructure and training support to 31 ITIs across India. The Hassangarh facility marks the 18th Advanced Manufacturing Lab established by the vehicle manufacturer. The firm also operates four Japan-India Institutes for Manufacturing (JIMs) located in Mehsana and Gandhinagar in Gujarat and Manesar and Sonipat in Haryana, which deliver technical education based on Japanese shop-floor management principles.

Rahul Bharti, Senior Executive Officer of Corporate Affairs, Maruti Suzuki India, said, “Through the Advanced Manufacturing Lab at Hassangarh, we are bringing real shop-floor learning and modern machinery into classrooms. This initiative, aligned with Skill India mission, equips students with confidence to handle industry-specific processes and nurtures talent for the evolving automotive ecosystem. It is part of our commitment to build a skilled, future-ready workforce for India’s manufacturing sector.”

Sachin Gupta, IAS, Deputy Commissioner of Rohtak, said, “The establishment of the Advanced Manufacturing Lab at ITI Hassangarh marks a defining milestone in Rohtak’s journey towards becoming a centre of excellence in skill development and a significant contribution to the vision of Viksit Bharat. By introducing industry-grade infrastructure, advanced manufacturing technologies, and hands-on technical training, Maruti Suzuki has created an ecosystem that seamlessly aligns academic learning with the dynamic requirements of modern industry. This initiative will not only equip students and trainees with future-ready skills and enhance employability, but will also nurture a culture of innovation, productivity, and technical excellence. The lab will play a pivotal role in developing a highly skilled workforce capable of supporting India’s industrial transformation and strengthening the nation’s competitiveness in the global manufacturing landscape.”

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