Scuderia Ferrari HP and Shell go back longer than you might think…

Any collaboration that stands the test of time must be greater than the sum of its parts. Each of which becomes connected with the other, to the point you couldn’t imagine them in isolation.

And few examples from the world of motorsport embody this synergy like that between Shell and Scuderia Ferrari HP. Between winning 12 Formula 1 Drivers’ titles and 10 Constructors’ Championships together and spearheading the effort to decarbonise the sport ahead of the 2026 regulation reset, this union means a whole lot more than just fuel in the tank and a logo on the sidepod.

It’s a symbiotic Innovation Partnership that has not only produced and constantly refines the Shell V-Power race fuel propelling the cars on track, but it also informs each formulation of the Shell V-Power fuel that goes into millions of road cars every single day. Like many winning combinations, its roots run deep.
 

There from lap one

Seventy-five years ago, on the streets of Monte Carlo, Shell first powered the Ferrari 125 F1 and driver Alberto Ascari to the podium in the second ever Formula 1 World Championship race.

Ascari would soon take the partnership’s first two titles, driving the Ferrari 500 F2 in 1952 and 1953, with Juan Manuel Fangio adding the penultimate of his – frankly greedy – five in 1956 with the D50.

Mike Hawthorn, Phil Hill and John Surtees each added another World Championship within the next decade, while countless other evocative names, such as Wolfgang von Trips, Clay Regazzoni and Jacky Ickx, stood on the top step.

Even if Shell and Scuderia Ferrari HP’s partnership hadn’t made it past the ‘70s, its place in the pantheon of F1 history was already assured. But as we all now know, there was an embarrassment of riches to come.
 

From Schumacher to Hamilton

Shell and Scuderia Ferrari HP reunited in 1996, coinciding with the arrival of a certain German with two titles already under his belt.

After some razor-edge battles between ’97 and ’99 which brought the Constructors’ title to Maranello after 16 years, Michael Schumacher broke the dam spectacularly in 2000, and what flowed was an extraordinary period of one-team supremacy. 

There would be five successive Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships, followed by more success for Kimi Räikkönen in 2007 and two more Constructors’ titles in 2007 and 2008.

It was during this glittering era that Shell V-Power first graced UK forecourts, with the fast-paced experimentation of a Formula 1 factory proving the perfect test bed for one of the world’s leading premium road fuels. 

This year, with such a proud heritage behind Shell and Scuderia Ferrari HP’s Innovation Partnership, it should come as no surprise the future looks just as exciting.
 

From trackside to roadside

From this year’s Scuderia Ferrari HP SF-25 to the continuing Innovation Partnership with Shell, there’s a well-oiled machine everywhere you look. In fact, more than 21,000 man hours performed by over 50 Shell technical staff go into creating the race fuels and lubricants every year.

In recent years, advanced digital technology has been used in more than one million fuel simulations to help maximise performance and efficiency. Out of these, 250,000 were dedicated to the breakthrough F1 fuel change of 2022, with the introduction of Ethanol at E10 level.

The Shell V-Power race fuel supplied to Scuderia Ferrari HP contains at least 99% of the same types of compounds used in Shell V-Power fuels for the road. And with regulations to be reset once more in 2026, with an increasing focus on decarbonisation, the results will undoubtedly be enjoyed well beyond the circuit.
 

Why use Shell V-Power in your car?

As the only fuel used, trusted and recommended by Scuderia Ferrari HP, Shell V-Power…

• Up to 100% cleans critical engine parts
• Up to 100% protects critical engine parts
• Keeps your engine performing like new

Click here to find out more about the innovation partnership between Shell and Scuderia Ferrari HP.