Shell in Formula One

Shell’s Formula One project team continues to grow and this year more than 50 Shell technical staff are contributing to the Shell Formula One programme with Ferrari; based in Shell laboratories and facilities around the world, back at the Scuderia Ferrari factory in Maranello and travelling to the 18 race tracks. This is clearly much more than a sponsorship – it is a technical partnership.
To date Ferrari has won 12 Formula One World Championship Drivers’ Titles and nine Formula One World Championship Constructors’ Titles with the support of Shell. Importantly the Shell technical partnership with Ferrari provides the perfect test bed for Shell road products - from Shell V-Power fuel and Shell Helix lubricants through to other speciality lubricant products, such as Shell Spirax gear oil. The lessons learned and the boundaries broken within the extreme environment of motor racing contribute to the development and production of fuel and lubricant products for customers around the world.

Shell at the races - the trackside laboratory

Shell provides Ferrari with a full analysis of fuel and oil samples at every race, using expert cutting-edge technology. In the Shell Track Lab - located within the Ferrari compound - Shell scientists conduct more than 40 tests per weekend on the Shell V-Power, Shell Helix and Shell Spirax race products used in the cars, to ensure that the drivers will be able to get peak performance at all times.

Lubricants

Unlike fuels, engine lubricants are slightly less restricted. This gives Shell chemists and engineers more freedom to explore new and unique formulations and get the most out of the Formula One engine. Instantaneous information provided by analysing the engine lubricant in the Track Lab is essential for the Ferrari team to understand the condition of its engines.
New to the Track Lab in 2008 is the RDE (rotating disc electrode) oil analyser which uses a technique called Optical Emission Spectrometer (OES). An extremely sophisticated instrument, it detects an increased selection of wear metals in the oil. This is once again a clear example of Shell’s cutting-edge approach to the programme, adding valuable systems to Ferrari’s track-side activity.

Read more on the role of Shell Helix in 2008

Fuels

Formula One fuel is one of the most tightly controlled fuels within the world of motorsport with the chemical and physical parameters dictated by the FIA. These regulations imposed by the FIA are designed to foster the development of road car fuels; specific power boosting chemical compounds are banned and all chemical ingredients are highly monitored. This season will see 5.75% by weight of bio-oxygenate incorporated in Formula One fuel in line with FIA regulations imposed on all teams.
The analytical process for fuel remains the same. Using a gas chromatography method, Shell engineers regularly analyse the fuel, taking extreme care to ensure that it remains legal and in prime condition during the race weekend. If a sample taken by the FIA does not match the pre-approved fuel profile, the team can ultimately be disqualified.
Working within these boundaries, Shell chemists still have the flexibility to excel and develop fuel in the constant battle to increase performance.

Test after test, race after race and season after season, Shell and Ferrari work together exclusively to craft the best performing fuels and lubricants in Formula One.

Running on Shell in Singapore

By the time the first Formula One night race takes place in Singapore this year, it will not just be long-time technical partner Ferrari feeling the benefit of Shell's advanced technologies. Shell Bitumen was selected to supply premium grade Bitumen Shell Cariphalte Racetrack for the new track surface at the Singapore Grand Prix circuit.


The track laying work has been underway since April 2008 and was completed in June. In reflection of the race itself, track surfacing work was carried out overnight (midnight - 6am), so as not to disrupt the daily traffic on the streets of Singapore. More than 15,000 tonnes of asphalt has been laid in that time.
The challenges associated have included development of an asphalt formulation unique to the demands of the Singapore venue, not only because of its dual purpose as a busy city road by day and a Formula One circuit by night, but because of the varied climate and temperatures. The formulation created by Shell and Hanson Heidelberg is a mix of specially selected aggregate (stone) from Malaysia and Shell Cariphalte Racetrack Bitumen technology. A complicated project, the Singapore Formula One track surfacing was completed in cooperation with contractor Hanson Heidelberg.
Shell Bitumen technology is proven worldwide and has already been used at the Formula One circuits of Sepang in Malaysia, Sakhir in Bahrain, Hockenheim and Nürburgring in Germany and Ferrari's own Fiorano test track in Italy. Asada Harinsuit, Shell Bitumen Vice President said: "Shell Bitumen is renowned for its technical solutions and long experience. We are pleased to see Shell Cariphalte Racetrack selected as the right product for the Singapore Grand Prix circuit."

For this application, the track surface has to remain constant, whilst being subjected to a range of weather conditions and extreme punishment from the Formula One cars. The binder has a much higher cohesive strength so it can withstand horizontal sheer forces when a race car accelerates or when the car brakes into the corner, Shell Cariphalte Racetrack provides the perfect solution.

This Shell technology aims to provide a fine racing experience for all twenty competing cars on track. Scuderia Ferrari Team Director, Stefano Domenicali, spoke recently about this project; "The track surface is the place where the car has to run smoothly - it affects grip, it affects the aerodynamic of the car and at the end of the day it affects the performance of the car itself. That is the reason why it is important and is sometimes difficult to find the right place where we can have races."

Referring to Shell's long-standing technical partnership with Ferrari, Domenicali also commented: "We are pleased to know that Shell Bitumen was chosen to prepare the new track in Singapore and we were lucky, because thanks to our collaboration we had the Fiorano track completely surfaced with a new technology and new product and that helps a lot."
Shell's track to road transfer of technology and knowledge is exemplified by the paving of Singapore's Grand Prix circuit where the two surfaces, that of Formula One and that of road cars, have to work together to provide a stable foundation for years to come.