McLaren makes urgent F1 rule change demand

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has called upon F1 to make changes to its financial and technical regulations in order to help teams hit sustainability goals.

The Woking-based outfit has released its annual Sustainability Report, in which a number of advances towards sustainability and equality targets have been revealed.

A number of key factors were outlined, including a 22 percent reduction of GHG [Greenhouse Gas] emissions against the 2019 baseline. A switch to LED lighting at the McLaren Technology Centre has saved enough electricity to power 100 average United Kingdom homes per year.

Thirty-three percent of new starters came from underrepresented backgrounds as the team aims to increase its equality and inclusion across the board.

Won't undermine the budget cap

But despite these milestones being achieved, Brown has urged F1 to make tweaks to the regulatory framework to assist teams in hitting targets.

“We strongly believe in the cost cap and wouldn’t want to see anything that undermines its integrity, but current regulations have created some unintended barriers when it comes to investing in sustainability," said Brown.

"It’s been fantastic to see so much support from F1 and other teams on this issue, and we’re delighted that the FIA has established a working group to explore next steps.

"But to unlock our sport’s potential to drive the development of more sustainable technologies that can spark positive changes on a global scale, we need a genuine step change.

"That requires a level playing field so teams can work towards achieving the same targets and no longer need to choose between investing in car performance and investing in sustainability.

"Our sport needs a clear regulatory framework with financial, technical and sporting regulations that better enable us all to innovate and invest in sustainability.

"We need to find better ways to share expertise and insights across our industry. Only true collaboration will help us drive meaningful change. And if we want to achieve a step change with the new set of 2026 regulations, then those decisions need to be made now.”

The changes proposed by McLaren

The changes being called upon by McLaren include a set of 'comprehensive cost cap exclusions' that will support sustainability-focused projects without harming the cap's integrity, with the outliers to take in diversity, equality and inclusion initiatives and training, team wellbeing initiatives and the costs for apprenticeships programmes.

The team is also seeking amendments to F1's technical regulations which 'actively encourage the adoption of more sustainable materials and processes' within a car's development cycle.

Changes to the Concorde Agreement have also been suggested, with the introduction of 'clear sustainability criteria' to cover 'core requirements for race calendars, the paddock and motorhomes, as well as requirements being confirmed for promoters and organisers to meet standards.