Connecting Road and Track: Data and Sustainability Drive Shared Innovation

This article was originally published in Thinkers & Makers, a magazine from Akkodis featuring the smartest minds and innovative projects that are driving the future of technology and engineering.

They are designed and built for different purposes. But although the development logic of road and race vehicles is not the same, they share a common history. Many racing innovations have been adopted by the wider automotive industry over the years. The new shared battlegrounds for two distinct but interconnected sectors are sustainability, and data science.

“While an average car costs around €50,000 and drives for 10 years, a Formula 1 car costs €20 million and is driven for a year,” said Bruno Leroyer, Akkodis’ global tech practice lead for verification and validation.

“In Formula 1, 1/100th of a second may be the deciding factor between victory and second place. In city traffic it doesn't matter. The technology in the F1 car is state-of-the-art, while the focus of a mass-production car is on reliability.”

How Formula 1 Innovations Are Shaping the Future of Commercial Vehicle Design

The differences then, are undeniable. However, Formula 1 (F1) car technology development has consistently influenced commercial automotive innovation, with traction control as an early example, followed by turbocharging, forced fuel injection, active suspension systems, the use of lightweight carbon fiber, and even multifunction steering wheel controls seen in modern road cars. F1-inspired aerodynamics are increasingly shaping vehicle design to improve fuel efficiency and high-speed stability.

Formula 1 (F1) car technology development has consistently influenced commercial automotive innovation.

Reducing drag and enhancing downforce are critical in motorsport, and these F1 technologies have been widely adopted by mainstream passenger car manufacturers striving for improved energy efficiency and lower fuel consumption.

How Formula 1 is Driving Automotive Sustainability and Data Innovation

Nowadays, there are two high-profile areas in which F1 and everyday cars converge: data-driven technologies and sustainable mobility solutions.

Racing remains a frontrunner in leveraging advanced telemetry systems and real-time vehicle data analysis. The 300 sensors on-board a modern F1 car—including sensors in shoes, helmets, and more—generate 1.1 million telemetry data points per second, all transmitted from the car to the pits.

The data collection and analysis techniques refined in the high-performance environment of F1 racing have transformed automotive engineering, enabling enhanced vehicle diagnostics, fuel efficiency, predictive maintenance, and driver-assistance systems in mass-market vehicles.

The 300 sensors on-board a modern F1 car—including sensors in shoes, helmets, and more—generate 1.1 million telemetry data points per second. 

F1 cars will run on 100% sustainable fuels starting in 2026. These second-generation biofuels, made from biomass sources without impacting food production, are carbon-neutral and adaptable for use in all types of vehicles without modification—making large-scale adoption a real possibility.

From Track to Road: How F1’s Hybrid Engine Innovations Power Mainstream Automotive Efficiency

Contrary to popular belief, F1’s drive for engine efficiency and sustainable performance is not all about building the biggest and most powerful engines imaginable. This has led to innovations that influence the mainstream automotive industry.

A 2014 change in Formula 1 engine regulations introduced a so-called “engine freeze,” creating a new frontier for high-performance automotive engineers: a turbocharged 1.6-litre V6 combined with advanced hybrid systems, capturing energy from exhaust gases and recuperating kinetic energy from braking.

These energy recovery systems enable drivers to enhance performance on demand. The stored energy in the car’s battery delivers extra power for overtaking or launching from the grid. Engine manufacturers continue to innovate, optimizing engine performance and advancing hybrid drivetrain technology.

In conventional road vehicles, hybridization takes various forms, but the underlying goal remains the same, which is reducing emissions and improving fuel efficiency by supplementing engine power with electric energy.

How F1’s 2026 Hybrid Regulations Are Shaping the Future of Sustainable Automotive Technology

The F1 regulations for 2026 push innovation even further by defining a hybrid power unit with nearly a 50/50 energy split between the internal combustion engine and energy recovery systems. The power output from the engine—which will operate on sustainable fuels—will decrease from approximately 550 kW to 400 kW. However, overall performance will increase, as electrical power generated by hybrid components will rise from 120 kW to 350 kW.

The amount of energy recovered through braking is also set to double, producing around 8.5 megajoules per lap. These groundbreaking F1 technical regulations have sparked interest from new automotive manufacturers, drawn by the alignment between Formula 1 innovation and their own vehicle technology development goals for high-volume road cars. Why Formula 1 Continues to Inspire Breakthroughs in Automotive Engineering Formula 1 car technology development will continue to serve as a major catalyst for mainstream automotive innovation.

“Obviously, F1 technology will have to prove itself before it arrives in the everyday passenger car,” Leroyer said. “That takes time, but it will happen eventually. And although there are clear differences between developing an F1 car and a mass production vehicle, racing continues to inspire innovation. Formula 1 is working at the technical limit, and we are continuously getting technical impulses from it.

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