Presented by Shell
The fact that Shell and Scuderia Ferrari HP are celebrating an incredible 75 years this season since their first Formula 1 race victory together shows the remarkable longevity of this partnership.
But what is it about these two organizations that has made their relationship last so long?
Tom Cassell, Shell’s head of global motorsport partnerships, attributes this to their shared philosophy and the clear value they derive from working together.
“Most sponsorships are primarily marketing relationships,” he says. “Our partnership is based on technical cooperation.
“The relationship has survived because it is based on shared goals rather than short-term commercial goals.
“Both organizations believe in the value of innovation, long-term investment and continuous improvement.”
Shell’s role in the Formula 1 Grand Prix
For Scuderia Ferrari HP, Shell is a very active partner in the pursuit of improved performance and reliability throughout every Formula 1 race weekend.
“At the heart of this collaboration is the Shell Track Laboratory, a mobile laboratory located in the Scuderia Ferrari HP garage, staffed by at least two Shell scientists at each Grand Prix,” explains Cassell.
“Working in a highly controlled environment, our analysts continually test and analyze the Shell V-Power racing fuel and Shell Helix racing lubricant used by the team.
“Their role is not only to monitor product performance, but also to ensure that every product delivered meets FIA specifications and requirements, working closely with Scuderia Ferrari HP engineers and FIA stewards throughout the weekend.”
And it’s even more work than fans might have expected.
“The scale of this operation often surprises people,” Cassell admits.
“Over the course of a race weekend, Shell analysts evaluate more than 150 samples, including race fuels and lubricants, and more than 25 fuel samples are tested specifically for compliance.
“The generated data is transmitted in real time to engineers both on the track and in our technology centers, creating constant feedback between track operations and research and development.
“For the 2025 season alone, Shell shared more than 50,000 data points with Scuderia Ferrari HP engineers. This data helps the team monitor engine health, optimize performance and make informed reliability decisions throughout the season.
“It is a highly integrated process based on continuous communication and a common goal: maximizing productivity, reliability and efficiency.”
How Formula 1 fuel affects Shell road fuel
The benefits of partnership go both ways. While Shell is an active contributor to Scuderia Ferrari HP’s success on the Formula 1 circuit, it also benefits enormously for its road fuel program from the work it does in motorsport.
Because the fuel used in the Scuderia Ferrari HP F1 cars is what Shell’s chief motorsport scientist Valeria Loreti calls “a highly specialized formula developed specifically for Formula 1 and designed to meet a very specific set of technical and regulatory requirements”, the motorsport program is used in Shell’s road fuels not in terms of direct ingredient comparisons, but through training and technological developments.
“Formula 1 provides us with one of the most demanding testing conditions imaginable,” explains Loreti.
“The pressure placed on our racing fuels and lubricants is extremely high, meaning innovation can be assessed much more quickly than under normal road conditions.
“The precise racing fuel formula used by Scuderia Ferrari HP is a bespoke product developed specifically for its power unit, but the knowledge gained through the development, testing and analysis of these formulas can feed directly into our wider research and commercial programmes.
“Over the years, technologies pioneered through our motorsport partnership have influenced products such as Shell V-Power fuel and Shell Helix Ultra lubricants. The move from track to road remains one of the most important reasons why Shell is investing in motorsport today.
“Rather than focusing on ingredient comparisons, what is important is that the same performance-focused approach, scientific expertise and innovative thinking underpin both our racing fuel development and our Shell V-Power road fuel.
“The partnership allows us to test ideas to the limits of performance and then apply that knowledge to products used by millions of customers around the world.
“This continuous transfer of knowledge is the link between what happens on the go and what customers experience at Shell stations.”
This mutual benefit and shared philosophy has remained so strong since that first joint victory 75 years ago that the partnership between Shell and Scuderia Ferrari HP looks set to last for many more seasons and victories to come.
“Despite generations of technology and regulatory changes, this commitment to collaboratively solving engineering problems has remained constant,” says Cassell.
“The partnership continues because both parties get real technical value from it.”
