P1 fuel technology attracted attention at last year’s British Grand Prix when Vettel completed a demonstration run of Nigel Mansell’s 1992 championship-winning car using its own fossil-free fuel.

At the time, Vettel said one of the motivations for taking part in the race was to demonstrate that it was possible to continue to use the internal combustion engines of past and present cars in a more sustainable way.

“I’m using carbon-neutral fuel to demonstrate that we can still preserve our history, tradition and culture in motorsport, but do it in a more responsible way,” he explained before the run.

P1 Fuels believes that showcasing its technology in motorsport will help speed up widespread consumer adoption of its products, and the company is already the exclusive supplier to the World Rally Championship.

Now, P1 Fuels co-founder and chief operating officer Benjamin Pochammer has revealed that it has begun working with some F1 team suppliers to evaluate potential future partnerships to see the Grand Prix switch to fully sustainable fuels from 2026.

While F1 is currently working exclusively with Aramco to develop the regulations for the 2026 fuel, P1 said it was already in discussions with the team to see how it could be involved.

“It’s getting to know each other,” Pochammer told Autosport at the Portugal Rally of his company’s relationship with the F1 teams.

“At the moment there is no tender in F1 because Saudi Aramco is the only one in this place.

“But in F1, everyone can drive with a different fuel company. So actually, we do have several F1 racing companies that are already working with the teams and they want to test our product.”

Thierry Neuville, Martijn Wydaeghe, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1

Photo by: McLean/ motorsport pictures

While Pochammer didn’t elaborate on which companies and teams they’re talking to, he said it’s an “exciting” possibility — because it could give the public a lot of insight into P1’s product.

“We love racing so it’s exciting,” he said. “But we’re looking at the mass market. We really want to make a difference.

“We really have a vision, that’s the first step, but the second step is going out there and making this fuel available to everyone, because that’s our vision.”

Vettel relationship

While its link to Vettel has been instrumental in raising awareness of the P1 product, Pochammer says their relationship is entirely informal – and simply motivated by Germans wanting to play their part in helping the climate. Caused.

Pochammer added: “In 2015, he said, ‘I need to do something for the climate, I want to race.’ So, there was one main idea.

“It took a few years and now we’ve proven it works on every engine. The regulations are there and the world is watching it.

“He (Vettel) likes what the P1 is doing. He’s not an official ambassador or anything. He’s using it, and virtually wherever he goes, he’s like, ‘Well, I’ll drive your car, but only P1. “We love it.

“Vettel really likes the topic. He’s not doing it for any other reason, he really wants to make a difference.”