The partnership between Ferrari and Shell is one of the longest ones in the history of F1 and perhaps the most iconic one in the history of motorsport. It goes all the way back to 1929 the year Scuderia Ferrari was founded. It's 92 years old, as old as the iconic prancing horse. And with a new extension in place till 2030, this partnership is set to cross the 100-year mark this decade.
"The relationship between Scuderia Ferrari and Shell dates back to 1929, the year our team was founded. In that time, we have produced so many victories together. We are delighted therefore that our collaboration is now set to go on even longer," said Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto eluding towards the record-breaking 12 drivers titles and 10 constructors titles the red team has won with its longtime partner.
"We share many common values, not least excellence, passion for racing and teamwork, which have made this partnership unique in the history of motorsport. As our Innovation Partner, we will continue to work with Shell on the transfer of racing technology to mobility as well as the ambitious challenges that lie ahead, in particular, the aim of Formula 1 to reach a net-zero emissions level by 2030," Binotto added sharing how this partnership will evolve over this decade.
undefinedOver 70 years together.
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) February 18, 2021
Ready for a new chapter with our innovation partner @Shell.#essereFerrari #Shell #ShellMotorsport @ShellMotorsport pic.twitter.com/PkImnQrSOQ
It comes at an important time for Ferrari which was thunderstruck by a change in technical regulations at the end of the 2019 season which resulted in its 2020 engine losing horsepower massively. It is this deficit which has been cited as the key reason for Ferrari's poorest season in F1 in 40 years where it came just 6th in the constructors.
As F1's most iconic team, Ferrari needs to improve fast. It hasn't won a drivers world title in 13 years since Kimi Raikkonen in 2007 and hasn't won the constructors in 12 years.
In 2021 it will introduce a new engine followed by another innovative engine as per reports in 2022 which will be set in stone till 2024 due to the engine development freeze. From 2024 onwards, sustainability and performance will be a huge factor and Shell as the fuel supplier will have to play a huge role in the success of the team.
Scuderia Ferrari cars have had the Shell logo on them since the inception of the team
"Our partnership with Ferrari has bred truly remarkable innovations - innovations Shell regularly relies upon when developing new fuels and lubricants for our customers," said Istvan Kapitany, Shell's global executive vice-president for mobility.
"We are now entering a very exciting time in our history together as we leverage this partnership to not only strive for success on the track but also to develop cleaner fuels and lubricants for our customers," he added.
Shell added that this partnership will enable Ferrari to reduce its carbon footprint and it (Shell) develops solutions for the same. It noted that the Ferrari engine was one of the most thermally efficient ones on the planet which is technically true but as of 2020, it was proven to be the least performant on the F1 grid.
