A former Formula One ace turned eco-entrepreneur is hoping to make the F1 British Grand Prix more eco-friendly, by assessing its environmental impact.
Nico Rosberg has partnered with Oxford University, the British Grand Prix (held at Silverstone) and Formula 1, on the initiative, which is part of the Rosberg Philanthropies, a charitable enterprise to support innovation and environmental initiatives.
The focus will be on two key areas during the forthcoming F1 race, which will attract around 470,000 visitors over four days this coming weekend.
One will be fan travel, the other focus will be on biodiversity and the impact the race has on the ecosystems living on the green field site.
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Rosberg, who retired from Formula 1 as the world champion in 2016, believes the project is groundbreaking.
Speaking to Autosport, Rosberg, who won the 2013 British GP at Silverstone, said: “It is a case of bringing my two worlds together – green-tech and sustainability with motorsport. Racing and F1 will always be my biggest passion, so I am very happy to come back to a race track with such a purposeful project.
“Nothing has been done like this before with Formula 1, it is groundbreaking and everyone has this need to decarbonise their events, so this should work as a case study for F1 races globally.”
Ex-Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel has previously shared his fears that the motorsport could be banned due to climate change.