New Mobil 1 engine oil - McLaren F1

ExxonMobil’s new engine oil helps Vodafone McLaren Mercedes adapt to one of racing’s toughest new regulations.

This year’s Santander British Grand Prix heralded the launch of a new Mobil 1 engine oil for the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-23. ExxonMobil’s long-standing technology partnership of 14 years with Vodafone McLaren Mercedes reflects the fundamental role that Mobil 1’s engine oil plays in ensuring engine reliability and increased performance throughout the entire season.
Each year brings new challenges to the partnership and the 2008 season is no different, with a number of new technical regulations coming into play to make racing an even tougher contest. Freezing the design of engines and forcing teams into the use of a homologized unit at the end of 2007 really places added emphasis on engine oil performance as any further design changes to the engine components from the start of the season are prevented.

Bruce Crawley, Mobil 1 Motorsport Technology Manager, explains: “During the past six months we have been busy working with the McLaren Racing and Mercedes-Benz technical team, carrying out a detailed re-examination of the friction response characteristics of the V8 engine. The engine design freeze regulation challenged us to re-examine some of our conventional understanding on how the oil can make a difference to the engine performance”.

Mobil 1 has helped to achieve a performance gain for the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-23 by carefully matching a variety of oil properties to the current V8 engine design – as stipulated by the regulations.

“It’s all about attention to detail” Bruce Crawley continues, “Just as the set up balance on the car is critical, we have to formulate Mobil 1 engine oil to get the balance exactly right between friction reduction and wear protection”. Through a revision of the component balance of these oil formulations and the introduction of a new synthetic based ingredient, the team have been able to provide engine power and reliability improvements.

Ron Dennis, Team Principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes says: “Our relationship with ExxonMobil is a key ingredient in achieving the smallest differentiation often helping to make the difference between winning and losing”. The new synthetic ingredient in the engine oil reduces friction to provide more power and thus faster lap times.

Norbert Haug, Vice President of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, outlines the benefits of Mobil 1 innovation and expertise to Mercedes as well: “As a consequence of the significant restrictions by the new engine rules, the significance of fuels and lubricants has of course increased. Accordingly, the improvements in this sector are important.

Developing more and more efficient lubricants in co-operation with our Partner ExxonMobil, we concentrate on reducing friction, and with fuels, the focus is on optimizing combustion. As everywhere in Formula 1, we explore the practicable limits.”

Mobil 1 and Vodafone McLaren Mercedes are working harder than ever before to improve the performance and maintain the reliability of the MP4-23. ExxonMobil is at the forefront of ensuring the lubricants used in Grand Prix Racing are always one step ahead when it comes to race day. This ongoing lubricant development provided by Mobil 1 is absolutely fundamental to improving engine efficiency and has direct relevance to the development of future engine oil for road car use, as oil can often be one of the last ways to get the best results out of an engine.

Customers have relied on ExxonMobil lubricants for more than 130 years. Marketed in nearly 200 countries and territories worldwide, ExxonMobil products stand for performance, innovation and expertise. As the industry leader in synthetic lubricants, a full range of ExxonMobil products is available in the automotive, commercial and industrial business sectors. ExxonMobil recognizes that business success and social responsibility go hand in hand. To that end, ExxonMobil works closely to support the communities where they operate and pledges to maintain the highest ethical standards, comply with local laws and respect local and national cultures. The term "ExxonMobil" is used for convenience only, and may include Exxon Mobil Corporation or any of its affiliates.