Apr 24 2006
Mobil 1 lubricants are providing additional power to the Mercedes-Benz engine of the Team McLaren Mercedes MP4-21 Formula One car for the 2006 season.
Ron Dennis, Team Principal, Team McLaren Mercedes, Chairman and CEO, McLaren Group remarked: "Does Mobil 1 really improve the performance of the car? The answer is yes. We can measure it on our test beds; we measure it in real time analysis. We know that it makes a difference. It's a great product, constantly evolving and ever improving."
Norbert Haug, Vice President of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, accredits Mobil products with further increasing performance of the Mercedes-Benz Formula One engine. He said: "Mobil 1 lubricants have given us performance advantages of between 3 percent and 5 percent, demonstrating, in a very practical way, the excellent gains of working with ExxonMobil."
This year, Formula One engines have been reduced from V10s to V8s and from 3L to 2.4L and these changes represent key challenges for the Mobil 1 team over the 2006 season. The faster running speed of the smaller engine demands greater oil cooling efficiency and this in turn means the car requires the highest specification of lubricants available.
Jonathan Neale, Managing Director, McLaren Racing, added: "If you look at the rate at which a competitive V8 engine will be running, the kind of work that's being done inside the engine is phenomenal. We need ExxonMobil's research and development expertise to win championships."
For the 2006 season, Team McLaren Mercedes has a permanent team member assigned from ExxonMobil to assess Mobil 1 lubricant performance. The Mobil 1 team's approach to each race relies on a continual improvement process to determine the best formulation or blend of engine lubricant to use, and the Mobil 1 Motorsport Technical Coordinator, Tony Harlow, who travels with Team McLaren Mercedes to each Championship round, is on hand to monitor the success of this selection.
Bruce Crawley, Mobil-McLaren Technical Team Lead, recognises the advantages of this: "Through Tony Harlow, we have a member of our development team present during our most severe testing conditions. This arrangement provides real-time technical guidance to Team McLaren Mercedes race engineers and each driver."
Mobil 1 - tuned for excellence at every race circuit
Mobil 1 technology, currently used within the MP4-21, is "tuned" to ensure optimum engine performance for each race of the championship's 18-rounds. Over the course of a season, many different blends of Mobil 1 will be tested, each one designed to maximize engine power.
"The precision with which we can develop Mobil 1 lubricants to anticipate an engine's needs is the key," comments Tony Harlow. "With the new V8 engines revving higher than before and engine temperatures internally soaring in excess of 300(degree)C (570(degree)F) the slightest inaccuracy in calculating the correct lubricant could be seriously detrimental to the performance of the engine."
Data collated from a successful 12-year partnership with Team McLaren Mercedes has helped advance Mobil 1 lubricants technologically, a fact recognised by the team drivers. As Juan Pablo Montoya explains: "At approximately 340 kph I'm not thinking about the engine oil because I know we have the best technology available to us."
ExxonMobil's lubricant databank also provides insight into the enormous forces to which F1 engines are subjected. Mobil 1 lubricants must withstand extremely high engine temperatures, particularly as the car sits on the grid waiting for the green light, as at this point, there is no air rushing through to cool the engine.
Formula One also provides an opportunity to test and develop other Mobil 1 products supplied to Team McLaren Mercedes, such as gearbox oil and greases.
Mobil 1 - success through motorsports
Throughout 2006, ExxonMobil will continue to develop and prove Mobil 1 products through its technical partnership with Team McLaren Mercedes and other race teams in motorsports as diverse as Indycar, NASCAR and DTM. Such a variety of testing conditions enables ExxonMobil to offer performance and protection for almost any driving condition, something which benefits all motorists through the supply of products which help reduce engine wear and improve fuel economy and performance.
"We can trace the mechanical improvements achieved through our F1 and DTM activities to the Mobil 1 lubricants used and developed in partnership with ExxonMobil," said Norbert Haug.
The partnership between ExxonMobil and Team McLaren Mercedes is an ongoing one. ExxonMobil will continue to evolve its products like Mobil 1 in response to the ever increasing demands of the sport, ensuring Team McLaren Mercedes is equipped with unsurpassed lubricant technology for the 2006 season and beyond.
The Mobil 1 range is available from Exxon, Esso and Mobil service stations, leading franchised car dealerships, automotive stores and other independent retailers.