Hungarian GP: Shell technical briefing

Shell Technical Briefing
Hungary - Hungaroring

New Shell gear oil gives Ferrari more power in Hungary

Lubricant

*Ferrari will use a new gear oil in Hungary
*Shell Spirax L6148T has 'liberated' more horsepower from the Ferrari gearbox
*By creating a more efficient oil, less power is lost in the Ferrari gearbox through friction
*The key to this lubricant's success is that it allows the Ferrari gearbox to run hotter and therefore more efficiently
*The T in the product code stands for the new tracer included in the oil. A specific element in the oil, it can be detected easily using an instrument in the Shell Track Lab in the case of an oil leak to determine the source of the spill, saving the team precious time
*Ferrari will continue to use Shell Helix SL785 engine lubricant in Hungary. If the ambient temperature is high, Ferrari also has Shell Helix SL0848 on standby. It is a thicker lubricant, designed to cope more efficiently with higher temperatures. Shell Helix SL0848 was last used in France.

Fuel

*Ferrari will continue to use the new Shell fuel introduced in Germany
*The new fuel, Shell V-Power ULG59 gave the Ferrari engine a power increase in Germany that saw Michael Schumacher record the highest speed-trap time on Friday and the fastest third sector time in Saturday qualifying as well as winning the race on Sunday.

Technical note

The theory behind allowing the gearbox to run hotter is that (to a certain point) the hotter you run a lubricant the less power is lost through friction as its composition thins. The trick is to maintain the oil's protective efficiency and heat retention as it thins.

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