AlphaTauri launches a “Sustainability Programme” for their F1 ambitions, while drivers Gasly and Tsunoda discuss various other topics.
The Faenza team introduce their new initiative as part of a wider goal of a “systematic reduction of CO2 emissions” and net zero carbon emissions by the year 2030. To achieve their goals, AlphaTauri pledge to minimize waste of “water and food” at races, and commit to furthering their use of renewable fuels.
Also set to put “workable carbon sequestration programmes” in place, the F1 team acknowledges that their reduction of CO2 will be gradual, and AlphaTauri say this process already began in 2020 season.
Extra attention will be paid to reduction of CO2 production by the factory, which AlphaTauri notes accounts for 70% of the team’s overall footprint. The team says their Faenza base will be free of single-use plastics in 2021, adding that it will feature accommodations for green transportation for employees.
AlphaTauri noted that it carried an in-house assessment, in conjunction with a specialist firm, which concluded that the F1 team produced around 15,000 tons of CO2 in 2019 – something they wish to lower in a gradual manner.
To make its factory a hallmark of sustainability, the F1 team is using green electrical energy, generated from 100% renewable sources. They are also going to use sync its heating system, in a way that it uses energy from wine production and local garden waste.
They hope that this system will be ready by autumn with the help of Caviro Group, who are a leading Italian wine manufacturer. The company also has a biomass thero-electric power plant near to the AlphaTauri base in Faenza.
As they tackle the challenges of the coming decades, AlphaTauri also look to the more immediate future as they seek to find success on track in 2021. At the season opening Bahrain GP, the team displayed potential, with debutant Tsunoda earning points.
Tsunoda says the weekend was successful, but admits that he was taken aback by the amount of media-related work he had to do. The Japanese driver has “no regrets” about the teams’ decision to attempt making Q3 with mediums, and looks forward to tackling Imola – where he says his experience can provide an advantage.
The rookie does admit, though, that he was also surprised by the outpouring of support from European fans, who saw potential in his debut race – a Grand Prix in which his daring overtakes drew eyeballs. “It was interesting that after Bahrain, I think I got a bigger reaction from European fans than from those in Japan,” said Tsunoda.
“It’s a cultural thing: Japanese fans want to see what I do in a few rounds before getting a proper impression. I was surprised at that reaction in Europe. I didn’t expect it, because for me, Bahrain was not a perfect weekend and I was hoping to finish higher. I am happy about the fans’ support, but I don’t feel pressure because of it, I take it as something positive and this weekend I will just get on and do my job,” Tsunoda said.
Teammate Gasly says his weekend went “well,” and also cites the team’s decision to try to make Q3 with medium tyres as evidence of AlphaTauri confidence. The Frenchman is eager to see the potential of the team in the coming rounds. “The team has worked hard since the first race, as there are still areas where we can improve, even if we are clearly on the pace at the moment,” he said.
“But this early in the season, we can expect everyone to make progress as they get to understand their cars better and how to optimise them. So, we have to work hard to keep moving forward. Honestly, I can’t wait to go racing again as this three-week break has seemed quite long. From now on, the races come one after the other and I’m keen to see what results we can get.”
Here’s new schedule of Imola F1 race
Here’s Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda on height/weight factor