Brawn in favour of ridding F1 of 'gin palace' motorhomes

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Formula 1's quest for increased sustainability could forced to teams abandoning their lavish "gin palace" motorhomes says F1 managing director Ross Brawn.

Last year, Formula 1 announced a comprehensive sustainability plan intended to help the sport achieve a net zero carbon footprint by 2030.

As part of its green campaign, a multitude of actions on site and at team's factories have and shall continue to be implemented.

F1 begins quest to become Net Zero Carbon by 2030

However, logistics and travel, as explained by Brawn, are a major component of F1's carbon reduction quest

"We are looking at transportation and all the equipment that we use," said the F1 chief, quoted by Motorsport.com.

"So, my guys at the moment are looking at all the alternative forms of transport, and train is actually a very efficient way of moving stuff around. Sea freight is also a very efficient way of moving things around in terms of the impact it has.

"So we're looking at all the logistics and see how we can minimise our impact."

And Brawn has pinpointed motorhomes and their long-distance and costly hauling across Europe as an obvious source of carbon reduction.

"We all go to a grand prix and for nine races of the year we have motorhomes carted around by trucks, a large fleet of trucks, that give the teams the facilities they need," he explained.

"For the other 15 races, they are quite happy to use whatever's there when they turn up on Thursday.

"We go to overseas races, for example we go to Baku, and you have a nice set of prefabs all laid out for you. Nobody complains, and it is all workable.

"Then we go to Monza and we have our gin palaces with all the trucks that are needed to transport them.

"So in the future, we want to move to a motorhome or hospitality facility which could be put up with far less impact in terms of logistics and transportation than we have now."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.