F1 Fuel Cost: How Much Does It Cost To Fill F1? (Explained)

F1 uses fuel designed to be similar to a standard car. The current fuel used in F1 is an E10 blend of 10% sustainable ethanol, and different F1 teams use slightly different fuels and often use different fuel suppliers. But now, we will focus on the cost of F1 fuel. 

So how much does it cost to fill F1? A formula one car uses about $500,000 in petrol during an entire season for their practice and racing sessions. 

Formula One fuel will fall under high octane premium road fuel with octane thresholds of 95 to 102. And since 1992, all Formula One cars must use unleaded racing gasoline fuel. And F1 Blends are tuned for maximum performance in weather conditions or different circuits. 

The Formula 1 car engine is the basic unit of an F1 car and is naturally the most expensive. The turbocharged 1.6-liter V6 engine currently costs approximately $10.5 million. The actual cost depends on the plans and cost-cutting efficiency of the teams and the innovation used. 

A formula one car uses about $500,000 in petrol during an entire season for their practice and racing sessions. That is about 190,000 liters of fuel. 

A fuel tank will cost nearly $150,000, with a few mandatory maintenance costs. Let us learn more.

F1 Fuel Cost

How Much Does F1 Fuel Cost?

The Formula 1 vehicles are some of the fastest machines in the world. And they have speeds consistently crossing 300 kilometers per hour. Formula 1 is a complicated series founded on complex engineering, tough business negotiation, and precise data. 

The Formula 1 vehicles are some of the fastest machines in the world, with speeds consistently crossing 300 kilometers per hour. And naturally, they cost a considerable amount of money to be built. The cost mainly depends on how much the teams are willing to spend on its development and will vary wildly depending on how big or well-reputed that team is. 

The FIA has developed a cost cap to be implemented in the upcoming seasons. Per the cost cap, the constructors can spend a maximum of $175m on vehicle performance factors. 

How Much Does It Cost To Fill Up An F1 Car?

Motorsport is nothing without the fuel that powers it, but how much a vehicle can use and when makes up a big part of each series’ regulations. So a high fuel consumption was a good thing. 

A formula one car uses about $500,000 in petrol during an entire season for their practice and racing sessions. That is about 190,000 liters of fuel.

How Much Fuel Does An F1 Car Use?

Rather than being calculated in liters or gallons, how much fuel an F1 car uses is calculated in the weight. The regulations stated that a vehicle could use up to 110kg (242 pounds) of fuel per race. Formula 1 fuel tanks of today have a capacity of 30 gallons. 

However, Formula 1 fuel tanks can hold a capacity of up to 140 liters of fuel, the maximum allowed for a race. The fuel an F1 car can use per race was increased to 110 kilograms in 2019 (an increase of 5 kilograms) to allow the drivers to push more of the time.

What Fuel Does F1 Use?

Formula One fuel will fall under high octane premium road fuel with octane thresholds of 95 to 102. From 1992 onwards, all Formula One cars must use unleaded racing gasoline fuel. 

Do F1 Cars Run Out Of Fuel?

F1 cars have not been refueled since 2010 when the FIA decided to ban them from reducing costs and increasing safety. This is because the vehicles are starting the race with a full tank, and the drivers must manage the fuel well, so they do not run out before crossing the finish line. It’s true that with refueling, there were more varied and exciting strategies. 

The FIA decided to ban refueling from the 2010 season for two (2) reasons. The first one is the cost. The cost of transporting, caring for, and storing fuel is very expensive, so refueling requires teams to have more fuel, raising the price. 

It is estimated that each team’s refueling cost was around one million euros per year. The other reason was safety. 

With refueling, there were a lot of accidents like leaks and drivers pulling out of the pit too early with a fuel line still attached. They also have problems inserting it, causing fuel to spill everywhere and ending many fires.

Summary

In summary, high fuel consumption was a good thing. A formula one car uses about $500,000 in petrol during an entire season for their practice and racing sessions. 

That is about 190,000 liters of fuel. The fuel can be expensive.

Do you want to know the price of other parts of F1?

Resources

Image credits – Canva

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My name is Hank, and I've been in the automotive industry for 27 years. I've been working in my own auto repair shop for the last 13 years, and now I want to help you here, on my blog. Let me know if you have any questions. Read more