P1 Fuels technology shot to attention at last year’s British Grand Prix when Vettel completed a demonstration run in Nigel Mansell’s championship-winning 1992 car using its own fossil-free fuel.
At the time, Vettel said that one of the motivations for the run was to prove that it was possible to keep using internal combustion engines from both past and current race cars but in a more sustainable way.
“I am using carbon-neutral fuels to demonstrate that we can still hang onto our history and heritage 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 can help fast track its products to widespread consumer adoption, with the company already the exclusive supplier for the World Rally Championship.
Now, P1 Fuels co-founder and COO Benjamin Pochammer has revealed that it has begun working with some F1 team suppliers to evaluate potential future partnerships, with grand prix racing switching to fully sustainable fuels from 2026.
And while F1 is currently working exclusively with Aramco for the development of regulations for the 2026 fuels, P1 says discussions are already underway with teams to see how it could get involved.
“It is getting to know each other,” Pochammer told Autosport at Rally Portugal about where his company was at with F1 teams.
“There is no tender in F1 right now as Aramco is the one and only in this place.
“But in F1, everyone can drive with different fuel companies. So actually, we do have a couple of F1 racing companies who already work with teams, and they want to test our products.”
While Pochammer did not expand on which companies and teams they were speaking to, he said it was an “exciting" possibility – as it could make the public very aware of P1’s products.
“We love racing, so it's exciting,” he said. “But we are looking into the mass market. We really want to make a difference.
"We really have a vision, and this is the first step, but the second step is getting out there so that everyone can use this kind of fuel, because that is the vision we have.”
Vettel relationship
While its link up with Vettel has been great in raising awareness of P1’s products, Pochammer said their relationship was entirely informal – and had been triggered simply by the German wanting to play his part in helping the climate.
Pochammer added: “In 2015, he said, ‘I need to do something about the climate, and I want to go racing.’ So, there was a main idea.
“It took a couple of years, and now we have shown that it works in every engine. The regulations are there, and the world's actually looking at it.
“He [Vettel] loves what P1 is doing. He's not an official ambassador or anything. He is using it and actually wherever he goes, he says: ‘Okay, I drive your car, but only with P1.’ We love it.
"Vettel is really into that topic. He's not doing it for any other reason that he really wants to make a change.”
