Shell continues to perfect Ferrari fuel

Shell has developed Shell V-Power race fuel, which is designed to provide Ferrari with three main advantages: give the engine more power through optimised formulation and friction reduction; improve fuel economy and offer protection and increase the reliability of the engine.

Shell analyses fuel and oil sample from the Ferrari Formula One race car in a dedicated mobile trackside laboratory at each Grand Prix. One of the main objectives of this activity is to develop technology that can be transferred to Shell road products.

Lubricants can be transported on passenger aircraft as they are not classified as dangerous goods.

Other than the Shell V-Power racing fuel used by Ferrari cars at each Formula One race, the Anglo-Dutch company also assists the former champions on other fronts such as the Helix engine oils, the Spirax Gear lubricants, the Stamina grease, the KERS fluid and finally Shell's Donax hydraulic fluid.

Shell and Ferrari have been together since the Italian company was established in 1947, thus giving the multiple world champion a crucial edge on the track.

The first on-track victory for Ferrari came at the British Grand Prix in 1951 when Jose Froilan Gonzalez took the chequered flag at Silverstone, and the 2008 French Grand Prix at Magny Cours was very special as the Shell and Ferrari partnership recorded its 150th victory.

Racing fuel is made up of more than 200 chemical compounds and a complete break-up of these can be detected by doing a GC (Gas Chromometer) Fingerprint on the mixed fuel. Once a particular mixture is acceptable to the team, the sample goes to the FIA for testing, who then decide if it can be used by the car. Ultimately, when the car uses the fuel it needs to belong to the same batch (that is, the fuel needs to have the same GC Fingerprint). To ensure this, Shell has three specialists at every Grand Prix in their lab.