Prior to the Grand Prix to be held in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku, lubricant suppliers, which play a significant role in the success of the teams, continues to be assertive. Renowned motorsports journalist Jon Wilde elaborates on the agreements made between oil brands and teams, whereas Baku City Circuit CEO Arif Rahimov indicates that Azerbaijan has gained further experience and awareness in races.
The Formula 1 adventure, which began on May 13, 1950 with the British Grand Prix, has been continuing with great excitement for 68 years. While the 1950 races were held in seven countries, including Great Britain, Monaco, Indianapolis, Switzerland, Belgium, France and Italy; F1 expanded to different geographical areas over time and it started to be organized in almost every corner of the world.
The 2018 race season was opened with the Australian Grand Prix. After that, the races will be held in Bahrain, China, Azerbaijan, Spain, Monaco, Canada, France, Austria, Great Britain, Germany, Hungary, Belgium, Italy, Singapore, Russia, Japan, USA, Mexico City, Brazil and Abu Dhabi respectively.
Among these races, Azerbaijan Grand Prix draws attention because it is the fastest track in the city circuit category and offers a different racing experience with its unique historical texture. Baku City Circuit hosted its first F1 race in 2016. Designed by renowned track designer Hermann Tilke, the track features narrow streets, sharp turns and challenging hills along with the historic texture of the city.
10 teams – 4 lubricant brands
The teams to participate in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix to be held on April 27-29 can be listed as follows: Scuderia Ferrari, Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport, Aston Martin Red Bull Racing, McLaren, Renault Sport, Sahara Force India, Alfa Romeo Sauber, Williams Martini Racing, Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda, and Haas.
Lubricant and fuel preferences of the teams significantly affect their racing performance. All F1 teams trust in a total of four brands: Petronas, Shell, Mobil and Castrol. Lubricant companies develop special lubricants according to the power units of the teams, and continue to test and develop their products with the team until they achieve the best result. Split seconds and second gained by the pilot and the car on the basis of the properties of the lubricant may play a key role in the success of the team for championship. Therefore, we can regard Formula 1 as a race of lubricant brands.
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ExxonMobil and Aston Martin Red Bull Racing teams together With nearly 40 years of Formula 1 experience, ExxonMobil is uniquely placed to drive cutting-edge technology solutions that help their race partner, Aston Martin Red Bull Racing, to win. ExxonMobil has been involved in Grand Prix Racing for nearly 40 years having first appeared in Formula One in 1979. Its first win came in 1981 at the US Grand Prix, and since then it has partnered with a number of leading teams winning 11 World Championships. In 2017, it announced its new partnership with Aston Martin Red Bull Racing, continuing its dedication not just to winning races, but also to creating fuels and lubricants with unbeatable performance and engine protection – developed at the race track for the everyday world of motoring. “Hand-in-hand with Aston Martin Red Bull Racing we’ve made some great steps” David Tsurusaki, Technology Motorsports Manager at ExxonMobil commented: “On and off the track, we have a rigorous development program for our Mobil 1™ race lubricants and Esso Synergy race fuels. Hand-in-hand with Aston Martin Red Bull Racing we’ve made some great steps this season and we’re confident we can carry this forward into this season.”
ExxonMobil has extensive technical expertise and a long heritage in F1. They carry this expertise to the AMRBR partnership and help the team win more races. Esso/Exxon/Mobil Synergy Race Fuel has been developed to a unique specification that runs at maximum performance for the current power unit. Ten highly experienced people make up the ExxonMobil race technology team. They share unique skills and qualities, including the ability to innovate in the complex and competitive area of fuel and lubricant technology development. The team innovate product solutions ahead of the race car needs, through a combination of blue sky research and a systems engineering approach. The systems engineering approach looks holistically at the technology challenge of producing maximum performance, and has brought the ExxonMobil and Aston Martin Red Bull Racing team together to collaborate very closely. The new F1 car regulations introduced back in 2017 have brought with them an exciting technology and innovation challenge. Every opportunity to improve the efficiency of the power unit needs analysing, and constant reassessment. The performance of the Esso/Exxon/Mobil Synergy Race fuel and the Mobil 1 Race engine oil and lubricants is a critical area to innovate, in order to help the car’s power unit run as efficiently as possible.
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Shell’s Innovation Partnership with Scuderia Ferrari Shell develops products that contribute to the team’s success within its Innovation Partnership with Ferrari, regarded as one of the most successful teams in Formula 1 history and one of the world’s most iconic automotive brands. Shell Helix Ultra is the first and only motor oil produced from natural gas by Shell with PurePlus Technology. Shell Helix Ultra offers better viscosity stability, cleansing properties and evaporation resistance thanks to its PurePlus and Active Cleansing Technologies. Shell Helix Ultra helps reduce oil reduction in the engine with its lower volatility by up to 50 percent. In this way, it contributes to the continuity of the performance by reducing stress on the engine under long driving conditions. Superior protection against wear by staying strong for longer; it shows 32 percent better resistance to oil degradation than the limit values of the most recent industry standard. Shell Helix Ultra also provides 65 percent better piston cleansing than industry standards. It maintains the viscosity at the optimum level with its high viscosity stability, thus providing superior protection against wear and prolonging the engine life. Shell Helix Ultra helps protect, cool and power the Scuderia Ferrari engine group. Shell Helix Ultra is an important part of the innovation partnership both on the race track and on the road with Ferrari, the most successful team on Formula 1 and one of the world’s most iconic automotive brands. Every GT car produced in Ferrari’s factory is filled with Shell Helix Ultra synthetic motor oil. Delivered 25 percent of total performance gain Shell Helix Ultra, produced from natural gas with PurePlus Technology, delivered 25 percent of the total performance gain of Scuderia Ferrari’s power unit in 2015. This means the Italian team can go over half a second a lap faster with the same amount of fuel. In 2015, Shell Helix Ultra made Ferrari V6 turbocharged power unit the most reliable engine in the race. Scuderia Ferrari Driver Sebastian Vettel indicates that Formula 1 teams always use the most efficient products to achieve best performance. About the Shell Helix Ultra experience, Vettel says, “The loads and stresses on the Formula 1 motor are extraordinary. In multiple races we have to get the best performance every time and until the last moment. Shell Helix Ultra helps us maintain the performance and the protection we need at the race track.”
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Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport team gears up with Syntium Since 2010, the Mercedes and Petronas works together to achieve successful results under extreme driving conditions with Syntium. Petronas is committed to become the world’s leading technological solutions partner. Petronas Syntium with °CoolTech™, thanks to its exceptional heat dispersal capacity, offers three key advantages. Firstly, by protecting the components from wear and tear and breakdowns caused by high temperatures, it prevents damage to the engine. Secondly, by impeding the oxidation of the oil at high temperatures in order to guarantee the optimal lubrication of the engine components, it delays the thickening of the oil. Thirdly, by fighting against the accumulation of damaging deposits caused by excessive engine overheating in extreme driving conditions, it keeps the engine performance at the optimal level. Constant performance and reliability for the entire season The technologically advanced lubricant used by the Mercedes AMG PETRONAS Formula 1 Team, the end result of the continuous innovation by PETRONAS, played a crucial role in guaranteeing constant performance and reliability for the entire 2017 season, culminating in the fourth consecutive victory in the Formula 1 Constructors’ and Drivers’ Championship. “Collaboration, this is such an important concept. It is the essence behind each of our partnerships. It is the driving force behind our winning formula as we work hand in hand with our partners; sharing knowledge, technical capabilities and expertise which includes best practices as we work together to achieve results that matter”, said Vice President of Marketing, Downstream Business, PETRONAS, Dato Sri Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohd Tahir. Emphasizing the commitment to invest in technology, PETRONAS Lubricants International, Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Giuseppe D’Arrigo has announced their pledge to be the world’s leading Technology Solutions partner with a strong commitment to enable businesses to grow. Championing CO2 emissions reduction through their unique approach to technology and co-engineering came up top in their agenda. With that, they will be committing 75 percent of all future R&T investment behind emission reducing projects. “Identifying trends at an early stage and driving innovation forward are the cornerstones of our success. We are thus well equipped for hybrid drives and e-mobility and, together with car manufacturers, we have the power to develop tailor-made lubricants and coolants for the new generation of engines”, says Andrea Dolfi, Global Technology Manager Engine Fluids & Motorsport, PETRONAS Lubricants International. |
