Holding pole position in the race toward 100% circularity

Without a common definition for circularity in F1, Deloitte and McLaren first had to determine what a circular car could be. Which boundaries, materials and data requirements matter most? Together, they focused first on actions an F1 team can influence directly, separating those within McLaren’s control from those requiring supplier engagement or constrained by FIA requirements. That focus helped turn a broad ambition into a practical starting point for transformation.

The FIA commissioned the development of an F1 Constructors’ Circularity Handbook that could provide a standardized measurement approach all F1 teams could use to track circularity consistently across their chassis manufacture. McLaren believed that over time, the handbook could create a foundation for regulatory change in favor of sustainability and wider adoption of circular practices across F1.

Deloitte approached the initiative through four stages.

First, Deloitte worked with McLaren to define its circularity ambition and pursue goals that are realistic, achievable and meaningful in the highly competitive and regulated F1 environment. This helped McLaren gain a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities it could face and the potential metrics that could be tracked.

Then, broadening focus, Deloitte helped standardize measurement of circularity in F1 chassis production with the development of a codified methodology that could be applicable to all constructors. While every team gathers cost data for required financial reporting, they may not have been tracking the amount of material they use. The circularity metric methodology supports conversion of spend data to weight data and considers inflows and outflows to arrive at a single percentage. A circularity metric of 100% would represent a fully circular F1 chassis—the ultimate goal.

Deloitte helped McLaren develop a tool it could use to actively measure its circularity. The tool automatically pulls from different datasets to quantify total circular inflow and outflow over total material use. Since launching the tool, Deloitte has continued to provide enhancements to the quality, coverage and robustness of the data measured. The enhanced data foundation has enabled more accurate emissions calculations and is able to provide deeper insights into the impacts of McLaren’s choices and inform more effective action.

With the circular car as the moonshot goal, Deloitte helped McLaren strategize and build a roadmap for reaching it. This strategy drew upon Deloitte’s research into new and innovative materials gaining traction across motorsports as well as aerospace, since an F1 car, in many ways, more closely resembles an aircraft than a family sedan. Deloitte also created a framework that McLaren can use to consider the impact of different solutions and prioritize the ones that can enhance its cars’ performance.

In April 2025, McLaren Racing, Deloitte and the FIA unveiled the F1 Constructors’ Circularity Handbook. Shared with other teams, the handbook was created not to compare performance, but to deepen understanding of circularity in F1 and encourage collaboration on potential regulations and efficiencies. The announcement underscored F1’s ability to drive technical advances that could benefit motorsport and the broader mobility sector.

Collaboration was a necessity and something that was practiced throughout the project. McLaren leaders were clear that they wanted to bring other people and organizations along on its circularity journey. Creating the handbook involved collaboration with the FIA and similar industries and sharing learnings to help McLaren’s stakeholders better understand why circularity matters.

The balance between circularity and quality, safety, traceability, supply chain resilience, cost and performance is inherently more visible in F1 than in other sectors. But organizations in industries ranging from automotive to technology hardware need practical ways to turn circularity from a concept into measurable progress. That’s where Deloitte IndustryAdvantage™ enters the grid. It is designed to bring together deep industry experience, forward-looking insight, technology and ecosystem capabilities to help focus on the moves that matter most and turn them into measurable action. For McLaren, that meant translating a moonshot ambition into a practical measurement system, decision framework and roadmap—while keeping performance at the center.