Shell V-Power - fuelling Scuderia Ferrari HP Formula 1 to success

It is a dream job for anyone who loves motorsport. Valeria Loreti gets to follow the Formula 1 World Championship, travelling the world and support with the Scuderia Ferrari HP Formula 1 team. And it was a passion for chemistry which drove her to the job.

Valeria is Shell’s Principal Scientist for Motorsports, leading the team in charge of testing and blending the race fuels and race lubricants that power the Scuderia Ferrari HP  team.

Born and raised in Italy, Valeria relocated to Germany to study for her PhD in Analytical Chemistry at the University of Mainz. She then joined Shell in 2005 as a fuel scientist, investigating the variations in formulations and studying molecules and combustion chemistry.

“When I started at Shell I heard about the job working with Ferrari and thought it was something I could aim for later in life. I was lucky that I got the experience necessary, and it worked out!”

Valeria and her team have a full mobile laboratory that is transported to at every FIA Formula 1 event and positioned inside Scuderia Ferrari HP’s team garage, forming an essential part of the whole operation. They don’t just fill up the tanks of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc's SF-25 race cars and leave them to it either – after every practice and qualifying session, and the race, fuel samples are taken to ensure they are compliant with the FIA's technical regulations, while the oil is extracted and inspected for traces of metal that could indicate engine wear.

It's the fuels where the regulations are strictest. Since a rule change in the mid-nineties, the fuel used in F1 has to conform to similar standards as the Shell V-Power sold to the general public. This change resulted in a much faster transfer of technology between the fuel used in F1 and the Shell V-Power in our fuel tanks – and now the technology is going to further develop as the next generation of race fuels will use advanced sustainable components.

“The first step is to fix the formulation,” says Valeria. “We have the framework of FIA technical regulations and Scuderia Ferrari HP’s engineers tell us where they want to develop the future engines to maximise power output. Fuels are a very complex mixture of different molecules and choosing the right blend will maximise the performance. Once that’s chosen, we need to create the fuel - and make sure it gets to the races on time.”

As the fuel formula is fixed for the current F1 season, the barrels are sent from the blending plant in Hamburg to the race destinations using the lowest emission means of transport – sea freight. “The race fuels for the race in Australia in March will have been put on a ship in November. It needs careful planning”. 

Once the race fuel arrives, it is tested before, during and after the race weekend to check for issues with the blend. “All it takes is for a few drops of oil in the fuel line, some condensation or even a bit of dirt from a mechanic’s glove and the fuel will be contaminated,” says Valeria. And every batch requires a sample to be sent to the FIA for compliance testing. “If the blend doesn’t match or breaks the rules then the driver can be disqualified, and I’d lose my job. I really don’t want that!”

As with the technical regulations that govern the race cars, the rules around race fuel are equally strict. Valeria explains: “Fuel scientists have always tried to push the boundaries and find the magic molecule which is legal and has never been used by anyone else to give a competitive edge. This leads to more restriction from generation to generation as they try to take away our toys!”

As with all testing these days, digital simulations have radically changed the way the Shell team try to find those perfect recipes. “If you go back a generation then scientists would create 30 or 40 different blends and then test them in a lab before trying some of them in an engine. That takes a lot of money and effort. Now the regulations limit the amount of time you can spend on a dyno, so Scuderia Ferrari HP is constrained. By using computer models, we can narrow down the formulations we will use for the physical testing. We have done more than a million simulations for the fuel we are using now.”

Everything learned from the race fuel developed for Scuderia Ferrari HP makes its way to the Shell V-Power you put in your tank, and the current race fuel blends contain 99 percent the same types of compounds as road fuels, says Valeria. “For example, we launched Shell V-Power containing friction modification technology. That’s a fancy name for a specific molecule we had tested on the F1 track. It works on the top piston ring and lubricates where the oil is less able to reach, which results directly in extra energy to the wheels for more efficiency and performance.”

In some ways, the Shell V-Power for road cars has a more sophisticated formulation as the rules are less restrictive. Valeria explains: “The fuel for F1 needs to meet all the rules and be exactly the same for every race, wherever it is in the world. With road fuels we must change the blend slightly to match different climates and seasons to be compliant with local requirements.”

The 2026 Formula 1 season will see wholesale changes, not only for the cars, but the fuel they will use too. Advanced Sustainable components, as defined by the 2026 FIA Technical Regulations, will become mandatory, meaning the renewable components will be greater than that used in the road car petrol blends. Valeria isn’t too worried: “At Shell we have been using ethanol in road fuels since the early 2000s, so we have a lot of understanding. I’m a big fan of it as it burns well, has a great octane number and a charge-cooling effect. But it behaves differently in a race environment, so there has been plenty to learn.”

The restrictions around oils and greases in F1 are far less strict than for fuels, which allow more scope to develop technology. “Fuel can create horsepower, but lubricants are there to protect and preserve reliability,” says Valeria. “F1 engines endure super high temperatures, G-forces, and enormous pressures. But the oil will be changed at the end of every race if needed. In road car oils such as Shell Helix Ultra, we need to create a formula which can offer protection for thousands of miles, so they are different. But there are still base elements which are shared between the two oils, like Shell Pure Plus Technology.”

These race fuels and lubricants are created to support Scuderia Ferrari HP in their quest for peak performance - it’s a partnership which this year celebrated 75 years and began in Formula 1 at the 1950 Monaco Grand Prix. “To be in with a chance of getting on the podium, everyone needs to work at their best,” says Valeria. “Being in the team gives me immense pride, and in many ways is a dream come true.” By using Shell V-Power, you’ll be using a proven formula too.