Oiling wheels of power at Monza
’VE BEEN to a few F1 races, but I think it’s safe to say that Monza, otherwise known as the Cathedral of Speed for its long straights, has some of the most passionate fans on the planet.
The Italians love Ferrari, and Monza becomes a place of worship. It’s a sea of red wherever you look, with a Ferrari driver on the podium creating absolute hysteria. Thousands of fans walked along the track from as far away as the eye could see to cheer Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso’s podium finish and wave their flags on the Sunday afternoon.
Being hosted by Shell and Ferrari also provided an insider view of the sport with not only a look into the secretive pit and paddock areas, but a reveal into the testing undertaken by Shell in the Ferrari garage.
Shell runs the Trackside Lab which analyses its fuels and oils at every race weekend. Oil samples are taken from the cars before and after each run leading up to race day, giving Ferrari an indication of engine wear – which has become critical information since the introduction of the two races per engine rule. The results also provide Ferrari with an indication of how hard the engines can be pushed.
The engine freeze regulation brought into the sport in 2007 stopped most engine development by teams, making oil and fuel development a keen focus for better performance too. Interestingly, oil development is largely unregulated allowing for teams to research ways to find better engine lubrication, leading to more power.
At Monza, we were told that the right oil can lead to five extra horsepower (3.7kW) and slice a tenth of a second off every lap.
An average race weekend will result in approximately 40 samples of oil and 30 samples of fuel being analysed.
Shell puts 21 000 hours a year of research and development in this partnership with Ferrari, with 50 scientists working in Shell labs around the world. These findings form part of the development of the oil sold to consumers daily. There’s a lot of history here too. Shell’s relationship with Enzo Ferrari began in the 1930s. Shell became one of Scuderia Ferrari’s first ever technical partners.
The companies worked together during the very first F1 season in 1950, Shell powered Ferrari to its first ever F1 win in 1951, and the very first Ferrari road car out the Maranello factory gates in 1947 was powered and lubricated by Shell (which applies today too).
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