Pau GP organisers had made it mandatory for series to use biofuels for the 80th running of the grand prix in 2023 to improve sustainability. The inclusion of the FIA eTouring Car World Championship (ETCR) and a demo by fellow electric series ERA at last year’s grand prix and sponsorship from a fuel company prompted the organisers to seek series that adhered to the sustainability vision.
Euroformula Withdraws from the Event
Euroformula was called up to fill in the gap left by the withdrawal of the ETCR, but it was not able to meet the requirement of using sustainable fuel as it was not a part of its contract with the event organiser. Despite this, TCR Europe was brought in to replace ETCR. Euroformula stated that it was not possible to adjust the current engines of the cars safely and effectively for low-carbon emissions, running on ‘greener’ fuels, as it would require further engineering work, costly modifications, and testing. The lead time to the event was insufficient, and GT Sport had to move this round to another location and date, which it will announce soon.
Another issue was the potential lack of tyres from manufacturer Hankook as the supplier suffered a factory fire a month before the season started, which wiped out significant levels of Europe-bound stock of racing tyres as well as pausing production. When the promoter and teams were reunited for the Portimao opener last weekend, there were enough tyres for the first two rounds, but Euroformula withdrew from the event due to the unavailability of sustainable fuel. The next Euroformula round is at Spa-Francorchamps on 26-28 May, and it is understood that a return to Silverstone or a trip to Enna Pergusa is not an option to replace the cancelled round.
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