Carbon fiber has been an integral part of F1 car design for over forty years, particularly since McLaren built the pioneering MP4/1 in 1981, a single-seater featuring a monocoque made of carbon fiber.
From that moment on, engineers began to better understand the characteristics of this material, exploring its properties to adapt certain components to specific requirements in terms of weight and flexibility.
However, the use of carbon fiber also poses environmental risks: its demand is expected to double over the next ten years, and studies estimate that about 30% of the material ends up as waste during the production process. For this reason, several teams are investing in ways to reuse carbon fiber, focusing on sustainability.
McLaren has been active in this field for years. In 2020, together with the company Bcomp, the British team produced a seat made from renewable textile fibers, while since 2023, it has collaborated with the specialized company V Carbon to experiment with the use of recycled carbon fiber.
Now, Mercedes is also investing in this area and, on Thursday, announced that in 2025, it will use sustainable carbon fiber components on its two W16 cars. The innovation work on these materials presents a significant opportunity to reduce the carbon footprint and aligns with the German manufacturer’s strategy to achieve Net Zero across all areas by 2040.
Carbon fiber composites are primarily composed of two key elements: the fibers and the resin system. In terms of weight, about 60% of the composite material consists of fibers, while 40% is made up of the resin system. To create a sustainable carbon fiber composite, both components—the fibers and the resin system—must be addressed.
Working with its suppliers, Mercedes has initiated two distinct projects, one focused on the resin system and the other on the carbon fibers themselves. To qualify a carbon fiber composite material for use in single-seaters, it must undergo rigorous laboratory testing to understand its technical properties and performance, which must logically meet the expected standards.
The transition from the laboratory to the track requires further trials and verifications to ensure that the material’s behavior aligns with expectations. It should be noted that each carbon fiber composite component involves four to eight suppliers for its complete production.
“When performance and innovation come together, progress is made. I am proud to lead a team committed to being at the forefront of change for sustainability. I would like to thank our partners for supporting our push for material innovation and the FIA for allowing us to test these materials,” said Toto Wolff, Team Principal and CEO of Mercedes.
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