F1 fuel consumption is driven by the rules. From 2019 to 2025 a car could use at most 110 kg of fuel per race, with a maximum flow of 100 kg per hour. From 2026 the flow limit is no longer set in mass but in energy, 3,000 MJ per hour, the rules no longer set a maximum quantity per race, the fuel is sustainable and the target Formula 1 announced in 2022 was to get down to around 70 kg per Grand Prix. In 2013, with naturally aspirated V8s, cars used around 160 kg.

Behind these numbers lies one of the biggest technical transformations in the sport’s history, and one of the most interesting for sponsors: fuel has become a communication topic, and energy companies are among the most important partners in the paddock.

How much fuel a Formula 1 car uses

Let us do the maths at the regulatory limit. A Grand Prix covers just over 305 km (around 260 at Monaco); with 110 kg available, a 2019-2025 car could use around 36 kg every 100 km. Formula 1 fuel has a density between 0.72 and 0.785 kg per litre, so that means around 46-50 litres per 100 km. It is a theoretical estimate at the maximum allowed: in races teams often start with less fuel than the limit, to save weight and lap time.

With the target of around 70 kg set for 2026, which is a goal rather than a limit, the same calculation gives around 23 kg per 100 km, roughly 30 litres. These figures are a long way from a road car, but they have to be read alongside the power: a Formula 1 power unit produces more than 1,000 horsepower in total.

Fuel rules from 2014 to 2025

Until 2013 Formula 1 raced with naturally aspirated V8 engines and used around 160 kg per race. In 2014 came the 1.6-litre turbo hybrid power units and, with them, two new limits: a maximum instantaneous flow of 100 kg per hour, fully available above 10,500 rpm, and a race fuel limit of 100 kg. The limit rose to 105 kg in 2017 and 110 kg in 2019. Refuelling during the race, meanwhile, has been banned since 2010: all the fuel is loaded before the start.

The flow limit exists to cap power: without it, teams could burn a lot of fuel at some points of the lap and save it elsewhere while still staying within 110 kg. That is why every car carries an FIA-homologated sensor that measures flow in real time, and exceeding it can cost a disqualification, as happened to Daniel Ricciardo at the 2014 Australian Grand Prix.

The result shows in thermal efficiency, the share of the fuel’s energy that becomes useful work. Naturally aspirated V8s started at around 29%; in 2017 Mercedes announced it had passed 50% on the dyno. As Andy Cowell, who then ran Mercedes’ engine division, put it, that simply means going further on the same tank of fuel.

2026: energy instead of mass, and sustainable fuel

With the 2026 rules Formula 1 changed philosophy. The flow limit is no longer about how many kilos of fuel pass per hour, but how much energy: 3,000 megajoules per hour. It is a logical choice, because with non-fossil fuels the same kilo does not always contain the same energy.

The fuel has to be sustainable: in Formula 1’s words, no new fossil carbon, but carbon from non-food sources, municipal waste or captured from the atmosphere; the rules allow only non-sustainable additives up to 1% of the blend. On the electrical side the MGU-H, the generator that recovered energy from the exhaust gases, disappears, while the MGU-K, which recovers energy under braking, goes from 120 to a maximum of 350 kW. The power unit stays above 1,000 horsepower, but with a much bigger electrical share and much less fuel on board. We covered the sport’s overall environmental footprint, beyond fuel, in our article on Formula 1 and its environmental impact.

Who makes Formula 1 fuel

Every engine manufacturer works with an energy company that develops the fuel and homologates it with the FIA. According to the specialist press, there are five suppliers in 2026: Petronas for the Mercedes-powered teams (Mercedes, McLaren, Williams and Alpine), Shell for those with Ferrari technology (Ferrari, Haas and Cadillac), ExxonMobil for Red Bull and Racing Bulls, Aramco for Aston Martin and BP with its Castrol brand for Audi.

For these companies Formula 1 is not just visibility: it is a laboratory. The same work needed to make a sustainable fuel perform at 300 km/h becomes a product story for motorists and a sustainability argument for investors. That is why partnerships between teams and energy companies are among the longest and most structured in the paddock, like the one we analysed between Petronas and Mercedes.

What it means for a brand

The shift to sustainable fuel and more electric power units has changed the conversation around Formula 1. For an energy, chemicals or mobility company it is a stage on which to prove a technology; for a brand selling to businesses it is a context in which to talk about efficiency with real numbers rather than slogans. In both cases precision matters: saying “sustainable fuel” or “50% efficiency” without explaining what those numbers measure is the quickest way to lose credibility.

If you are considering a presence in the championship, starting from the product or the message, the starting point is our page on Formula 1 sponsorship.