All petrol vehicles taking part in this year’s Formula Student competition will use SUSTAIN biofuels, thanks to a partnership between the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) and fuel supplier Coryton.
The finals of the competition, which is organised by IMechE and attracts over 100 teams from universities in the UK and worldwide, will take place in July at the Silverstone race circuit. In previous years, use of biofuels was optional, but this year it will be compulsory to reduce emissions and encourage students to gain experience using the fuels.
David Richardson, Director at Coryton, said:
“We’re delighted to be celebrating our third year of supplying Formula Student with fuels using sustainable components. With the past two Formula Student winners using SUSTAIN Racing 100E fuel, we’ve proven the performance potential of sustainable fuels alongside their ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
Fiona Wong, Formula Student Project Manager, said:
“Our partnership with Coryton is an important way of allowing students to develop their experience of internal combustion vehicle technology. As engineers in industry work toward Net Zero targets, these sustainable fuels allow us to demonstrate how motorsport can contribute toward a lower-carbon future.”
The Formula Student competition challenges engineering students to design, manufacture and run a single-seater race car. Complementing their academic studies with a real-world engineering project, the competition provides opportunities for students to broaden their knowledge, practical skills and teamwork abilities.
The 35 entrants in 2025 running petrol engines have been given the choice of fuelling with SUSTAIN Racing 100E (107 RON), which is 82% ethanol, or SUSTAIN 100 (95 RON) which is 10% ethanol. These blends comprise of 100% sustainable materials and are designed as a drop-in solution, meaning student teams won’t need to make alterations to the combustion engines used at the competition, whilst producing significantly reduced emissions.
These SUSTAIN products use advanced second-generation biofuel manufactured from agricultural waste, such as straw, by-products or waste from crops which wouldn’t be used for consumption. This content utilises the carbon that already exists in our atmosphere, which the plants absorb as they grow, recycling it, rather than releasing additional CO2 that is currently locked underground in fossil fuel. The fuels being used at the event will offer an 85% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil fuel, when calculated using a full life cycle analysis.
Coryton has a strong record as fuels provider at the UK competition, with SUSTAIN-fuelled teams from University of Modena in Italy and Edith Cowan University in Australia winning in 2023 and 2024 respectively.
