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Petronas Fuel for Mercedes Cleared for 2026 F1 as FIA Sign-Off Arrives Before Melbourne

An independent end-to-end audit of sourcing through to lifecycle emissions made certification far more demanding than past lab checks.

Overview

  • Mercedes and its customer teams McLaren, Williams and Alpine can race in Melbourne on the now‑homologated Petronas 2026 sustainable blend.
  • The approval followed a late sign‑off after delays tied to verifying supplier certifications and supply‑chain traceability rather than fuel chemistry.
  • The FIA tasked Zemo Partnership with auditing feedstocks, production routes and lifecycle greenhouse gas figures to meet the new rules.
  • During pre‑season running in Barcelona and Bahrain, the FIA allowed chemically compliant but not yet fully certified fuels to keep testing on track.
  • BP said it secured approval in the last couple of weeks after starting the process years earlier, underscoring how early preparation eased the transition.