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Shell
- Ferrari's Secret Weapon |
Shell's work in 2002 will be one of
constant compromise; everything Shell engineers do are influenced by two major
considerations which bear heavily upon their final results - the desire to give the engine
and car speed versus the need to produce a reliable power unit.
A fast car that leads half the race before is expiring is near useless, as is a slow car
which guarantees a last place finish, so as Ferrari builds a car to the absolute limits of
regulations and quite often on the limits of physical endurances, Shell has to provide
fuel and lubricants to protect this highly stressed machine while allowing it to run
freely and quickly.
Shell's 2002 fuel will have to be of a composition that gives the engine power but this
must not be at the compromise of the car's efficiency. A powerful fuel that burns too fast
serves no purpose in a race as the car will have to constantly stop to refuel. By the same
token, a fuel that will power a car for an entire race may not deliver the require amount
of power to the engine.
The Fédération Internationale De L'Automobile (FIA) rules that race fuel cannot be
altered radically from the high-performance pump fuel available in Shell service stations
although the fractional modifications allowed within the rules are seized upon by Shell
engineers who exploit these rules to the maximum, seeking every advantage possible.
Engine lubricant is subject to more modification than fuel and as such, is designed in
conjunction with Ferrari to the exact specifications of the engine. In the heart of the
Paolo Martinelli's V10 2002 Ferrari engine, Shell lubricant will prevent the metal in the
engine from excessive wear, whilst the lubricant also has to absorb and dissipate the
incredible heat generated in the motor unit.
Just behind the engine, Shell gearbox oil will have to cope with similar stresses as the
driver selects gear after gear in the seven-speed unit. In one race, a driver can make
over a thousand gear changes.
If the lubricant is thin enough to allow the parts to move freely, it may not cool and
protect the engine and gearbox sufficiently. Too thick and although the car will last the
race distance, it will be slow as the thick oil slows the moving parts of the car.
Constant developments and testing throughout the season combined with Shell's technical
brilliance and experience ensures that Ferrari has the most reliable Formula One engine in
living memory and still one of the most powerful. Such is the level of technical
advancement; Shell recommends different lubricants and fuels for different circuits.
"Tight twisty circuits such as Monaco and the Hungaroring outside Budapest ask a lot
of the engine as the tracks need short bursts of speed and lots of gear changes per
lap," explains Shell's trackside expert Tobias Tasche. "If a car is following
another close behind for a number of corners the temperatures in the engine will rise
dramatically as there is less air-flow through the radiators. Shell lubricant at these
races is designed with this specifically in mind to protect the engine temperature."Faster
circuits such as Monza and Indianapolis require a different approach. "The engines at
the faster tracks run for much longer at higher revs," continues Tasche, "and as
such we look at factors such as fuel efficiency as the time lost at pit stops at such fast
tracks tends to be penal because of the quick racing speed."
In 2002, Shell's position alongside the World Champions will be more important than ever
as the two major teams comprehensively beaten last year will be looking for revenge and
the vital speed and reliability Shell brings Ferrari could well be once again the
Scuderia's secret weapon. |
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