The Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team has transported its W16 race cars to the 2025 Dutch Grand Prix using an all-electric truck, which it claims makes it ‘the first on the grid to use an electric truck to transport its cars to a European Formula 1 (F1) race weekend’.
The F1 cars were transported in a Mercedes-Benz Trucks eActros 600, a model which it says is amongst the first of its kind on the road.
The Mercedes-Benz Trucks eActros 600 is equipped with a 600kWh Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery and has a minimum range of 500km (c. 311 miles) per charge, is a game changer in sustainable transport.
Using the megawatt charging system (MCS), the truck is capable of charging from 20% to 80% in 25 minutes, and can reportedly save up to 80% of CO2e emissions when compared to an equivalent diesel truck over its life cycle.
Following a successful pilot at the British Grand Prix in July this year, it was decided that the team’s W16 race cars would make the 673km (c. 418 mile) journey from the team’s headquarters in Brackley, Northamptonshire to Zandvoort, the Netherlands in the eActros 600.
Emissions reduction is a top priority for the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team, and other initiatives have included the adoption of biofuel HVO100 since 2022, which led to 98% coverage of HVO100 in the team’s race and marketing trucks and generators during the 2024 European season, saving over 500 tCO2e.
The team has shared that its long-term ambition is to ‘extend the use of the Mercedes-Benz e-fleet across future European seasons’, supporting its goal of achieving net zero status by 2030.
Alice Ashpitel, head of sustainability at the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team, commented: “As a team, our commitment to sustainability means that we rethink how we move, not just how we race.
“While we are driven by performance on track, we are incredibly proud that our innovations travel beyond the grid.
“The use of the Mercedes-Benz Trucks eActros 600, initially piloted at our home race in July, is another important step in our decarbonisation journey.”
The Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team’s Alice Ashpitel was one of a number of senior figures in motorsport and sustainability that spoke as part of an conference during the British Grand Prix in July this year.
The event, attended by Logistics Manager, was organised by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and centred around the impact of sport on the environment and making sport more sustainable.
During the conference, the FIA announced a new partnership with logistics company DHL, with sustainability at the heart of the collaboration’s ambitions.
Click here to read all about the partnership, and hear some of the expert insights from the day!
