Shell delivered 25% of Scuderia Ferrari’s power unit performance gain in 2015

Five new powerful blends of Shell V-Power race fuel were introduced to Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen’s cars throughout the 2015 season as part of a relentless, aggressive pursuit of performance this year. The fuel upgrades represent one of the greatest step changes offered by Shell in the history of the Technical Partnership with Scuderia Ferrari.

Shell Helix Ultra with PurePlus Technology, the first motor oil made from natural gas, also helped to ensure the Ferrari V6 turbo-charged power unit was one of the most reliable on the grid in 2015.

The significant performance gain from Shell, equating to an astonishing average of 30 seconds over a race distance, has to date helped power Scuderia Ferrari to 14 podiums, three victories and secure second in the 2015 Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship.

“It was always our plan to adopt a more aggressive strategy in 2015 with the development of our Shell V-Power race fuel in comparison to previous years,” said Guy Lovett, Innovation Manager, Motorsport, Shell. “We really applied our learnings from 2014, a year of new and innovative hybrid technology, to our 2015 race fuel, of which we introduced five new powerful blends.

“We worked closer than ever with our colleagues in Maranello where we fully integrated our development plans to optimise the fuel-engine package and it was great to see that our hard work paid off, helping to power the team back to winning ways. Now the hard work continues ahead of 2016.”

James Allison, Technical Director, Scuderia Ferrari, added: “2015 was a really positive year for Scuderia Ferrari and we made great strides in performance, particularly with the power unit, compared to last year.

“The considerable improvements Shell made with its Shell V-Power race fuel and Shell Helix Ultra with PurePlus Technology lubricant really did contribute to our own improvements on the race track, not only helping to deliver greater horsepower but reliability as well. Our Technical Partnership with Shell has never been stronger and we look forward to continuing our work with them for at least the next five years with the aim of winning more races and championships.”