Deprive to survive? – investigating Formula One’s environmental policy using a WPR approach

Environmental sustainability has become an urgent global concern, affecting all sectors, including sports. In response, sports organisations have adopted Corporate Environmental Responsibility (CER) policies to mitigate their environmental impact. However, despite the implementation of thousands of climate laws and policies worldwide, carbon emissions continue to rise, raising doubts about the effectiveness of sustainability efforts. In sport, as in other industries, environmental measures are often framed as ‘wicked problems’, characterised by complexity and ambiguity. This study focuses on motorsport, specifically Formula One (F1), which both pioneers green technology and contributes to the automobile industry’s carbon footprint. Using Carol Bacchi’s ‘What’s the Problem Represented’ (WPR) approach, this research examines how F1 formulates and frames its sustainability challenges and how these representations shape its environmental policies. By analysing key F1 documents, this study provides insight into the sport’s approach to sustainability and its broader implications for the automotive industry.