The FIA is turning the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort into a research laboratory, trialing prototype filtration systems designed to capture tyre wear particles, microplastics, and other road pollutants before they are washed into the surrounding environment by rainwater.
Developed in partnership with the Technical University of Berlin and German start-up Urbanfilter, the project marks a significant step in the governing body's efforts to address one of transport's most pressing environmental challenges. A 2024 OECD report estimated that 2.7 million tonnes of microplastics entered the environment in 2020 alone, a figure expected to double by 2040, with tyre particles accounting for around 28 per cent of all microplastics globally.
Two prototype filter units have been installed in Zandvoort's drainage network, covering approximately 3,300 square metres around the pit lane and the circuit's famous Tarzanbocht corner. Nicolas Aubourg, Head of R&D at the FIA, says laboratory testing results have been encouraging.
"It's a pretty smart system. In laboratory testing, the system captured up to 99% of the particles in the water passing through it, with a maintenance interval of around a year. What we now need to establish is how a prototype performs in real conditions at a circuit," said Aubourg.
The FIA is clear that motorsport's own contribution to global microplastic pollution is minimal, with just 22 cars racing on a closed circuit across a grand prix weekend. The ambition is instead to use the controlled conditions of a race event to validate technology that could be scaled up for public roads.
Zandvoort's coastal location made it a particularly fitting venue for the project's first real-world deployment. The entire development process, from collecting samples at the circuit to manufacturing the prototypes, was completed in just over a year. If successful, the FIA plans to discuss the concept with other circuits next year.
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