Shell Heritage - Accessible Version

1947

Shell and Ferrari Milestones

Having learnt his trade with Alfa Romeo, the Scuderia Ferrari went solo for the first time in 1947. Enzo Ferrari entered a Ferrari 125C into a race in Piacenza, Italy in May of that year and although it did not finish, it was quick from the outset, even leading the race at the time of retirement. When Enzo Ferrari set up his own team, he took Shell technology with him. Providing Ferrari with fuels and oils, Shell had the opportunity to develop its products in a high-speed test bed ­ something it continues to do today.

Technical Developments

Fuels were a heady mixture of aviation fuel and benzine and it was not uncommon for teams to flush the engine block with normal road fuel after each session to prevent the corrosive fuel harming the internals. The engine was protected with a Shell oil, although, it was much more viscous than the oil used today.

Audio Transcription

In the early days of motor racing, the engines needed power and lots of it. Although they were very fast compared to the road cars of the day, they were still quite heavy units and needed every horsepower they could generate.

Enzo Ferrari was one of the leading voices calling for more and power from his engineers. As such, Shell blended fuels focussed quite clearly on generating horsepower. Just as today, the fuel also had quite a big job to do protecting the engine. What we have now come to know at the 'lead' in a fuel had an important job to do protecting the valves, valve seats and the carburettors.

1951

Shell and Ferrari Milestones

By 1951, the Formula One World Championship™ we watch today was only one year old. However, until the British Grand Prix, Alfa Romeo had won everything. In July 1951, history was made when Jose Froilan Gonzalez drove his Shell-powered Ferrari 275 to victory, marking the beginning of Formula One’s most famous and successful dynasties.

Technical Developments

A key reason behind Ferrari’s win that year was the Ferrari’s fuel economy. By developing a normally-aspirated 3 litre engine, the Ferrari used significantly less fuel than the super-charged Alfa Romeo. Just as today, Shell and Ferrari worked together to develop a superior strategy that brought them the historic win.

Audio Transcription

By the early 1950's and the start of the Formula One World Championship™, the cars were travelling ever faster. Technology was rapidly expanding and teams were quick to take advantage of exciting new materials becoming available to them.

From the fuel's side, the big battle was between the pre-war cars that had been supercharged and the normally aspirated younger machines. 'Blown' or supercharged cars were producing more power, but were drinking fuel at a much faster rate. Add that to the fact that the old engines were reaching the end of the development, and the dawn of the big V12 Ferrari engine was nigh. Using a special blend of Shell fuel, Ferrari made the most of its economical fuel and engine to beat Alfa Romeo to take its first win at Silverstone.

1961

Shell and Ferrari Milestones

Ferrari and Shell had worked closely together in 1960 to develop the beautiful Ferrari 156 ahead of the introduction of the new 1.5 litre regulations for the following year. In doing so, the 1961 car proved to be unbeatable and at the hands of von Trips and Hill, it won Ferrari’s first ever Constructors' World Championship. Hill also took the Drivers’ championship, but only in tragic circumstances when von Trips was killed at Monza.

Technical Developments

Formula One™ fuel at this stage had an octane rating of about 130. Shell had put pressure on Formula One™ to standardise the fuel used so that more technological transfer could be achieved, although it was still a long way from being close to road car fuel as the racing cars relied heavily on the fuel for their power.

Audio Transcription

The 1960s marked the first time Formula One™ fuels moved towards those used on the road. Until that point, development of racing fuels had kept pace with the development of the cars and, with the introduction of smaller engine regulations in 1961, Shell pushed for the introduction of a more standard fuel into the sport. Gone were the days of the 130 octane blends which were replaced with a more standard leaded gasoline mixture and we won the Constructors' Championship in 1961 for the first time.

1971

Shell and Ferrari Milestones

With Jacky Ickx and Clay Regazzoni driving the Ferrari 312 at the start of the 1971 season, Ferrari and Shell entered a new period of racing. Aerodynamics had started to come into play more and more and the cars began to resemble the machines we see racing every Grand Prix today. Although the car did not win a Championship, the car represents the team's transition to a the modern incarnation of Formula One™.

Technical Developments

Ferrari retained its traditional V12 set-up and Shell continued its bespoke production of fuels and oils for the engine and gearbox. The fuel by this stage had become more standard. The complicated blends from the 1950’s had been abolished and teams were now running fuel that was much more akin to the road fuels of the time. Fuel development would evolve again a few years later - away from road car fuels, but it was clear at this stage that Shell wanted to develop its road fuels in racing cars.

Audio Transcription

The trend that had started in the 1960s for road-standard fuels to be used in Formula One™ continued throughout the decade until the beginning of the 1970s. With the arrival of early aerodynamic wings, Formula One™ moved into yet another stage though and it was not long until engineers called for the falling lap times to be matched with new blends of fuels. By the 1980's the fuel suppliers would be blending the exotic mixtures we hadn't seen since the 50s, but the 1971 marked one of the last years the fuel was standard for quite a while.

1996

Shell and Ferrari Milestones

1996 was something of a renaissance for the Ferrari team. Under the guidance of Jean Todt and Luca di Montezemolo, a team was established that would soon become legendary. Shell returned to the team that soon after signed World Champion Michael Schumacher as well as Rory Byrne and Ross Brawn to the technical team. Within months of the team taking shape, it secured its first win. A masterful driving display in Barcelona saw Schumacher climb to the top step of the podium in red for the first time, something we would see a lot more of in the future.

Technical Developments

Formula One™ fuel at this stage was almost identical to road car fuel. Powerful blends of the 80's had been abolished and fuel companies were pushing for all Formula One™ cars to run on unleaded fuel to comply with European Health and Safety regulations as well as to speed up the technical transfer from the sport to the road. By 1996, the cars were using fuel that was 95% identical to road car fuel.

Audio Transcription

The fuel we supplied Ferrari in 1996 was 95% identical to road car fuels. In fact, the work we did to develop these fuels contributed directly to the Shell V-Power fuel that was introduced all over the world several years later. It is no exaggeration to say that the 96 Formula One™ Ferrari would run on Shell V-Power you and I can buy for our cars. We did track tests with the Formula One™ car and although the race fuel brought the optimum reliability and performance, the drivers felt no noticeable between the V-Power and their '96 Formula One™ blend.

2003

Shell and Ferrari Milestones

Just as in 1951, Ferrari made history again in 2003. The Shell-powered team took a record fifth-consecutive Constructors' World Championship, whilst Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher won a record sixth Drivers' World Championship. The F2003-GA proved to be an awesome Formula One™ car. With great handling and excellent reliability (aided in part by the work done with Shell oils), the car is rightly regarded as one of Ferrari’s best.

Technical Developments

Shell's Formula One™ fuel was now closer to its road-going partner than ever before. Aromatic additives had been reduced to 35% it even complied with 2009 European regulations as to sulphur content and Shell offered Ferrari full on-track support for its race team. Most importantly, the fuel was 99% similar to Shell V-Power we use now.

Audio Transcription

When we introduced a sulphur-free fuel to the F2003 at the Hungarian Grand Prix, we took Formula One™ into the future. Working with the FOFAP (that's the Formula One Fuels Advisory Panel) Formula One™ cars now use a fuel that is not only 99% identical to road fuel, but it also conforms to 2009 European Union regulations. This way, Formula One™ has finally evolved to become the ultimate testing ground for us to develop our fuels for the road.

2008

Over 60 years of shared passion for performance

The F2008, powered by Shell products, proved to be a very successful development of the 2007 World Championship winning car. FIA regulations dictated that engines used by the teams had to last a minimum of two races. Consequently Shell V-Power fuel and Shell Helix Ultra motor oil were developed alongside Ferrari to cope with the extra demands associated with this change. These products were able to maintain the cleanliness, responsiveness and efficiency of the engine that ensured the Scuderia stayed at the top of the highest tier in motor racing for yet another year.

Technical Developments

In 2008 Shell’s Formula One™ team had a new focus. Whereas in previous years they had maximised the power that Shell’s products could generate, 2008 saw the team develop more of a balance between power and efficiency. The technology in the new fuels and oils meant the car could carry less fuel, thus weighing less and increasing speed.