MotoGP announces 100% non-fossil fuel from the 2027 season onwards
MotoGP has announced that it will use 00% non-fossil fuel in all Grand Prix classes from 2027 onwards, and it has now been agreed that the 100% non-fossil nature of these fuels will be assessed via the C14 test.
The C14 test comprises measuring the fraction of C14, which is the shorter-lived carbon isotope missing in fossil substances due to its decay
over a long time, over total carbon, and comparing it to the standard levels found in the atmosphere.
In the case of 2027 MotoGP fuels, these figures should be the same minus a tolerance, meaning the C14 content of the fuel sample shall be the measured to be same as the atmosphere, ruling out the possibility of the fuel being of fossil origin.
MotoGP fuels will therefore no longer be obtained by means of crude oil refinement and they may in principle be:
•either bio-fuels i.e. fuels obtained from bio sources
•e-fuels obtained by direct atmosphere CO2-capturing
The combustion of non-fossil fuels releases the same amount of carbon that has before been captured.
MotoGP took a major step in this direction in 2024 by mandating that fuels contain at least 40% non-fossil content. This transition will now continue with a fully mandated shift to 100% non-fossil fuels by 2027, marking a significant departure from current fuels, which are predominantly derived from crude oil refinement.
