A Formula 1 driver's lavish private jet purchase has some fans feeling concerned and frustrated about his environmental impact.
In a subreddit dedicated to F1 driving, a user shared a link to a story about Max Verstappen's new private jet from GPBlog. The outlet reported that the plane is a 2022 Falcon 8X that can cover 11,945 kilometers without refueling. His previous private jet was purchased in 2020 from billionaire Richard Branson.
Fans in the subreddit weren't thrilled that the F1 driver made this kind of investment.
"Private jets are unnecessary, no one should have one," one person said.
Another commenter defended Verstappen, saying that he "routinely takes several drivers and staff and his family to the tracks. I imagine it's fairly full most races. So it could be worse."
In response, a Redditor noted, "Being slightly less than extremely wasteful doesn't need defending."
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According to a study cited by PBS, emissions from private jets have jumped 46% in recent years and make up 1.8% of pollution from the aviation industry.
One reason for the increase is "empty legs," researcher Frederic Rudolph explained to Nature, which published the study cited by PBS. Empty legs are flights without passengers, which exist because many private flights travel one way, and the planes must return to home base.
Celebrities such as Taylor Swift, Elon Musk, and Bill Gates have ranked in the top 10 for their plane use, earning criticism similar to Verstappen.
Stefan Gossling, an author of the study cited by PBS, told the outlet that even though 1.8% sounds small, "the damage is done by those with a lot of money and the cost is borne by those with very little money."
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Disney heiress Abigail Disney spoke out against private jets in 2023, calling them "a cancer" in a series of tweets.
The Emmy-winning documentary producer said at the time: "Private jets are a cancer. … I also occasionally fly biz class and I fail to see what is so hard about that."
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