Over Seven Decades at the Top

How ExxonMobil is Co-Creating the Future of Formula 1

For over 75 years, ExxonMobil has been part of the history of the queen of motor sports. Currently, as a technical partner of Oracle Red Bull Racing and Visa Cash App Racing Bulls, the company is developing next-generation fuels and lubricants for the most advanced power units in F1 history. ExxonMobil’s on-track oil and fuel analyses during each race weekend provide the team with immediate support, as well as a faster development of technologies that transition from track to road.

To find the first successes on race tracks, we have to go back to 1915 and Ralph De Palma’s victory in the legendary Indianapolis 500, where his vehicle used Mobil products. In the following decades, ExxonMobil oils and fuels also accompanied the biggest names. Graham Hill, early in his F1 career, used Esso Extra Motor Oil to later achieve five triumphs in Monaco. In 1966, Jack Brabham became world champion driving his own design vehicle, whose engine used Esso fuel and oil. In the 80s and 90s, Mobil 1 collaborated with the Williams, McLaren, and Benetton teams, celebrating further championship titles and spectacular victories, including a hundredth Grand Prix win in 2009. ExxonMobil’s partnership with Oracle Red Bull Racing is also full of successes, including several Formula 1 World Championship titles.

In the V10 era, Mobil introduced the SuperSyn anti-wear technology, developed for the extreme conditions during races, which also became available to every driver in 2002. This is an excellent example of transferring new technologies from track to road. In this way, millions of drivers can benefit from the collaboration of ExxonMobil engineers with the most successful F1 teams. 

Engine Protection at Speeds Up to 12,000 RPM

Today, Formula 1 is a mobile laboratory. The engine operates at speeds of up to 12,000 revolutions per minute, the oil must remain stable under extreme temperatures, and a single F1 fuel tank could meet an average household’s energy needs for several weeks. This shows the kind of strain the engine experiences during a race.

ExxonMobil has two engineers in the Oracle Red Bull Racing team’s garage. During a race weekend, they analyze fuel and oil samples in real-time using advanced tools like an FTIR spectrometer, gas chromatograph, and particle counter. Analyzing trace amounts of metals in the oil helps detect microscopic signs of component wear before they become a threat to the power unit. 

Ready for a Technological Revolution

The 2026 season brought the biggest regulation changes in race history. For the first time, the power unit’s energy proportions will be balanced. 50% of the energy will come from the combustion engine and 50% from the electric system. The MGU-H system will disappear, MGU-K power will almost triple, and cars will use fuel produced from biomass, waste, or captured CO₂. Over the last three years, ExxonMobil has worked on fuels and lubricants that meet the new specifications. More than 75 specialists were involved in the project, and nearly 100 specialized tests and analyses were conducted during the development of the final formulations.

“The new regulations for the 2026 season are the biggest change to power units this sport has ever seen, and we are thrilled to take on such complex challenges. We look at the F1 car the same way a nutritionist looks at an athlete. Each year a new engine or new regulations may arise, meaning working with a completely different machine with unique features. Our goal is to find the best combination of fuel and lubricant to provide performance and protection within the current regulations,” explains Matti Alemayehu, Global Motorsport Technology Manager at ExxonMobil.

It is these changes that make Mobil’s role in developing next-generation fuels and oils more important than ever.

A New Era Partnership

Mobil 1 has been the technical partner of Oracle Red Bull Racing team since 2017, providing specially formulated lubricants for its power unit. The partnership entered a new phase with the Red Bull Powertrains project for the 2026 season.

“Our racing experience is one of the best. We are proud of creating products that are entirely customized to the needs of our partners. The advantage stems from proprietary technologies and knowledge gained in various motorsport series. We use experiences gained on race tracks in the lab to continually improve our fuels and lubricants. Collaborating with Red Bull Powertrains is an exciting new project that we continuously work on to achieve success,” adds Katy Howell, Marketing Services and Sponsorship Manager at ExxonMobil. 

Track to Road Technology

Today, ExxonMobil operates in over 56 countries, employing around 61,000 scientists, engineers, and other professionals. The experience gained on the track – the most demanding proving ground for lubricants – translates into the development of products available to millions of drivers worldwide. 

ExxonMobil has not only left its mark on the history of the queen of motorsports. It has been part of many of humanity’s technological breakthroughs, from the first Wright brothers’ flight to the Apollo 11 mission. ExxonMobil’s history in F1 is over seven decades of contributing to the development of fuels and lubricants that set performance and efficiency standards on and off the track. As this season shows, Formula 1 continues to present new challenges for ExxonMobil engineers and Mobil and Mobil 1 products.