Ferrari and Shell collaborate on new F1 lubes regs.
New Formula 1 rules mean that F1 teams can no longer use dangerous substances to enhance speed and performance. The rules have forced F1 teams to analyse their lubricants' use very closely.
Nowhere is this more visible than in the trackside science lab which is part of the more than sixty-year old technical collaboration between Shell and Ferrari. Here mechanics monitor lubricants on a near-instant basis.
Shell's mobile science lab in Ferrari's F1 garage Image: Shell/Ferrari |
F1 engines now need to run nearly twice as many miles as under previous regs and endure new extremes. With the temperature inside the turbo, for example, potentially reaching 1,000 degrees Celsius, engine components are at greater risk of damage and degradation by objects like tiny chunks of metal.
And because it's F1, it's all about timing, accuracy and highly specialised equipment.
The Shell mechanics use an atomic emissions spectrometer which is a carbon rod and small disk are aligned like an exclamation point and acting as an anode and cathode. The engineers take a lubricant sample and expose it to the disk. An electric current vaporizes the sample with a visible blast resembling lightning. Sensors around the box detect light at various wavelengths, revealing the exact chemical makeup of the lubricant. Results appear within 30 seconds.
“The intention is to ensure that F1 cars use fuel blends that are close to the composition of ordinary, commercially available gasoline and to prohibit the use of specific horsepower-inducing compounds,” said Ian Albiston, Shell’s Formula One project manager.