How this historic partnership supports Scuderia Ferrari HP's performance
Presented by Shell
The 2026 Formula 1 British Grand Prix marks the 75th anniversary of Shell and Scuderia Ferrari HP's first race win together - and a chance to celebrate a partnership that goes much deeper than a sponsorship arrangement.
While the famous Shell logos on the Scuderia Ferrari HP F1 cars are the most visibly obvious sign of this incredibly long-running relationship, the two organisations are entwined on a much deeper technical level.
Shell plays a constant active role in Scuderia Ferrari HP's performance and reliability, while using its learnings from that work to directly inform its road fuel and lubricants creation - as Shell's Principal Scientist of Motorsports, Valeria Loreti, explains.
"For us, Formula 1 - and motorsport more broadly - has always been about much more than brand visibility," says Loreti.
"While the Shell logo has been a familiar presence on Ferrari cars for generations, the real value of the relationship lies in the technical collaboration that happens behind the scenes every day.
"Shell and Scuderia Ferrari HP work together to develop bespoke fuels and lubricants specifically engineered for the team's power unit.
"Our scientists and engineers, based at Shell's Technology Centre in Hamburg and across our global R&D network, work closely with Scuderia Ferrari HP's engineers in Maranello and at race weekends, analysing data, conducting testing programmes, developing new formulations and identifying opportunities to improve performance, efficiency and reliability.
"That's why we describe it as an Innovation Partnership rather than a sponsorship.
"For more than 75 years, Shell has contributed technology, expertise and research that help Scuderia Ferrari HP compete at the highest level.
"In return, Formula 1 provides an unrivalled environment to accelerate innovation, generating insights that can ultimately benefit millions of customers through the products and solutions we develop for the road."
Trackside laboratory's role
Shell's F1 programme encompasses more than 38,000 man-hours of work annually across over 110 technical specialists. Some are directly involved in Scuderia Ferrari HP's trackside operations at every Grand Prix via the mobile Trackside Laboratory.
"They analyse fuel and lubricant samples, verify product performance and compliance, and work side-by-side with Scuderia Ferrari HP's engineers throughout the event," explains Loreti.
"The data and insights generated trackside are shared in real time, helping the team monitor engine health, optimise performance and make informed reliability decisions across the season."
Shell's new challenges for F1 2026
F1's 2026 rules revolution was headlined by the dramatic changes to the power unit regulations, but within them was a huge new challenge for fuel suppliers with the move to Advanced Sustainable race fuels.
"Developing an advanced sustainable race fuel has required us to rethink parts of the entire value chain," says Loreti.
"That includes evaluating different advanced sustainable feedstocks, establishing new manufacturing and blending processes, developing segregated supply chains, and implementing robust carbon-intensity tracking and certification systems.
"We've learned a tremendous amount about how advanced sustainable race fuel components can be sourced, transported, blended and verified at scale. Those insights are valuable not only for motorsport, but also for understanding how lower-carbon fuel solutions could be deployed more broadly in the future.
"From a technical perspective, we've conducted more than two million fuel simulations as part of the development programme.
"The challenge was never simply to develop a more advanced sustainable fuel. The challenge was to develop one that delivers the performance, efficiency and reliability demanded by Formula 1 in the new Scuderia Ferrari HP Power Unit design."
Those new rules also bring in fresh scope for rapid in-season technical development through the Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) system.
Scuderia Ferrari HP qualified for the upgrade allowance and worked rapidly to bring a revised power unit design for last weekend's Austrian Grand Prix.
That was also an opportunity for Shell to "unlock additional performance through our fluids", says Loreti.
"Both Shell V-Power race fuels and Shell Helix Ultra race lubricants are engineered to meet the precise requirements of the current power unit," she explains.
"As the power unit evolves, we continuously refine and optimise our formulations to ensure they deliver maximum performance and efficiency within the updated specification.
"This ongoing co-development approach ensures that our fuels and lubricants are always fully aligned with the latest hardware, helping to extract the best possible performance from the overall package."
