Scuderia Ferrari and Shell have entered into a new five-year Innovation Partnership which transcends the realm of Formula 1 and will involve several projects.
Shell and Ferrari have always had a close relationship and the seeing the yellow shell logo next to the prancing horse is no stranger to the eyes of any F1 enthusiast. On the weekend of the Italian Grand Prix, the two companies announced the Innovation Partnership that will see them even more closely involved in development of better fuels and lubricants for not just Ferrari F1 race cars, but also customer cars and road-legal offerings.
Shell will continue to provide Scuderia Ferrari with what they believe is the world’s best performance package: V-Power race fuel and Helix Ultra bespoke motor oil. Furthermore, Shell have also expressed their commitment in continuing to provide a dedicated 21,000 man hours at least, as well as 50 full-time technical staff to the Innovation Partnership every year.
As part of this Partnership, Shell will have a permanent technical staff presence at Ferrari’s Maranello headquarters going forward. Shell’s Downstream Director, John Abbott said, “Shell’s goal is to help power Scuderia Ferrari to an 11th Constructors’ Championship title in partnership with Shell.
“Of course, fuels and motor oil are just two of the many parts that need to come together for a Formula 1 car to cross the finish line first. As our relationship with the most successful team in Formula 1 evolves, we are determined to help bring success to the Scuderia, and develop even better fuels and lubricants for our millions of customers.”
Ferrari’s strong showing at Monza, with Vettel’s second place on the podium and Raikkonen’s fifth, together with palpable delight of the tifosi who thronged the iconic circuit all further fueled the performance flame which so brightly burns in both Shell and Ferrari. We hope to see a lot more innovation from these two in the not so distant future.
Story: Jim Gorde
Photography: Shell / DPPI
