A record-breaking race meets a new era of sustainability in Abu Dhabi
It’s a case of big race and an even bigger impact at the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The event has just added something special to its list of achievements – a Guinness World Record that’s all about sustainability.
During the 2025 race weekend, organisers Ethara teamed up with Ma Hawa to do something pretty clever: create drinking water… from thin air. Yes, literally.
Across Yas Marina Circuit and Etihad Park, more than 30 atmospheric water generators were set up, quietly pulling moisture from the air and turning it into clean, drinkable water.
Within just 24 hours, they produced 60.75 cubic metres of water, officially earning the record for the most water generated this way in a single day.
Over the full race week, that number jumped to 300,000 litres; which meant no need for more than 600,000 plastic bottles. That’s a huge reduction, not just in waste, but also in carbon emissions (over 80 tonnes of CO₂ avoided, for context).
And this wasn’t just a one-off gimmick. The 2025 Grand Prix leaned heavily into sustainability across the board.
Single-use plastic bottles and cups were removed entirely from key areas, including hospitality zones and food outlets.
On top of that, the event ramped up its renewable energy efforts, tripling its solar capacity and switching to biofuel for temporary power.
What makes this initiative stand out is how practical it actually is. Large-scale events usually rely heavily on bottled water logistics, but this shows there’s another way. By producing water on-site, it cuts down transport, packaging, and waste all in one go.
Saif Rashid Al Noaimi, CEO of Ethara said: “At Ethara, we are committed to embedding sustainability into everything we do, across our events and venues.
“Our collaboration with Ma Hawa is a strong example of innovative technology that we can deploy at scale to make a meaningful difference.
“The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is growing in attendance and programming, but our goal is to ensure its environmental footprint moves in the opposite direction.
“Preventing the use of more than 600,000 plastic bottles during the 2025 race week proves this is achievable and sets a new benchmark for how major events in the region can approach water supply and tackle single-use plastic,” he added.
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The record highlights how atmospheric water generation can support large-scale events while eliminating reliance on traditional bottled water supply chains.
The Grand Prix is getting bigger every year, but its environmental footprint doesn’t have to; that’s the message to everyone.
And if this is the direction things are heading, future events might not just be about speed and spectacle, but smarter, more sustainable ways of running them too.
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