McLAREN RACING PIONEERS
USE OF SUSTAINABLE
MATERIALS WITH INNOVATIVE
RECYCLED CARBON FIBRE
TRIAL
Together with innovative composites organisation, V Carbon, the cutting-edge material was be trialled at the US
Grand Prix
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Together with innovative composites organisation, V Carbon, McLaren sourced recycled materials
made using newly developed technologies. The car components manufactured using rCF will be the
first of their kind and will be used on the cockpit branding panels, which will feature the V Carbon logo.
The environmental benefits of recycled carbon fibre include:
A 90% reduction in life cycle emissions compared to standard carbon fibre, the equivalent of 27
tonnes of carbon emissions for each tonne of material used.
If just 1% of the carbon fibre manufactured globally in 2022 was rCF, it would save 32,535 tonnes of
carbon emissions – equivalent to half of McLaren Racing’s total emissions in 2022.
The manufacture of the F1 car is one of the largest contributing factors to F1 teams’ overall carbon
footprint. Enhancing the use of more sustainable materials therefore has huge potential to help
reduce emissions.
Working towards a circular economy – i.e., minimising the resources we consume and the waste we
produce, while keeping materials in circulation for as long as possible – is one of McLaren Racing’s four
sustainability priorities. The team has committed to accelerating the development of a fully circular F1
car and is working on this with our long-standing partner Deloitte. Teaming up with V Carbon
represents a further significant step towards showcasing the feasibility of circular practices in the
production of Formula 1 cars.
McLaren is no stranger to pioneering materials in F1 and was the first F1 team to race a chassis
manufactured wholly from carbon fibre in 1981. More recently, we introduced bio-based flax fibre as a
substitute for traditional carbon fibre in 2020, which has been successfully used in Lando’s car seat ever
since.
Piers Thynne, Chief Operating Officer,
McLaren F1 Team, said:
“We’re proud to team up with V Carbon to lead the charge in sustainable materials, running with
recycled carbon fibre at the Austin GP. The potential future applications of rCF are hugely exciting. V
Carbon offers up to 85% of carbon fibre original strength, making it strong enough for a variety of
applications in F1, and beyond. We will continue to work closely with the FIA, F1 and fellow teams to
help accelerate change.”
Kim Wilson, Director of Sustainability,
McLaren Racing, said:
“Developing a fully circular F1 car is our moonshot. We know that innovating in this space has the
potential to make a large contribution to achieving our ambitious sustainability goals. As a team, we
are passionate about driving change in our sport but we cannot do this alone and need to collaborate
with others, like V Carbon and our partners Deloitte, to achieve this. Using recycled carbon fibre in key
parts of the F1 car at this year’s US GP and analysing their performance on the track is a vital step
towards reducing the overall GHG emissions of our car manufacture. V Carbon’s new technology, as
with many other pioneering developments in F1, also has the potential for wider application across
other industries, so we’re excited to explore next steps.”
Following a successful collaboration with V Carbon at the US GP, McLaren intends to continue to run
rCF on the F1 car for the remainder of the 2023 season, assessing the sustainability and performance
of the material. Longer-term, the team intends to scope additional parts on the McLaren F1 car and
begin to close the loop in carbon fibre manufacturing and reduce overall emissions.
