Mobil 1 lubricants and fuels power Force India
ExxonMobil, the world's largest publicly traded international oil and gas company, can today confirm that its fuel and Mobil 1 lubricants are being supplied to Force India for the 2009 FIA Formula One season, in addition to the long-standing technical partnership with Vodafone McLaren Mercedes.Dr Vijay Mallya, Team Principal of Force India commented: “ExxonMobil represents the pinnacle of engine lubrication with Mobil 1 technology and fuels development, so we are delighted to have secured their support through our agreement through Vodafone McLaren Mercedes. With Mercedes-Benz support and the FO 108W engine for the 2009 season, this complete package to include ExxonMobil trackside support will power us toward the front of the grid.”
The news builds on Mobil 1’s 31 year involvement with Formula One, which has been used to develop new Mobil 1 products, innovations and understanding in order to deliver optimum performance and excellent protection at the pinnacle of motorsport, and then transfer this technology from the track to the road.
Harry Shablom, Global Motorsport Manager, ExxonMobil commented: “We are delighted to have broadened our Formula One involvement and support the continued viability of Formula One. The support to Force India allows us to further develop our relationship with Mercedes-Benz and Vodafone McLaren Mercedes. Formula One is the ultimate technological proving ground for the research and development of Mobil 1 lubricants and ExxonMobil fuels, so by widening our participation in the sport we will be able to achieve further technological improvements for use at both the pinnacle of motorsport and on the road.”
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes remains the focus of ExxonMobil’s Formula One commitments with the number one and two cars of Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen being the only cars to carry Mobil 1 branding in 2009.
Martin Whitmarsh, Team Principal of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes commented: “We are committed to supporting Formula 1 and this extends to supporting other teams as appropriate. We wholly support and have in fact facilitated ExxonMobil’s involvement in the supply of fuels and Mobil 1 lubricant technology to Force India. ExxonMobil has been an integral and valued technology partner of our team since 1995, and we are confident that this broader technical collaboration will allow us to stay at the forefront of technological improvements in this area.”
Norbert Haug, Vice President, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport added: "ExxonMobil is a long-standing Partner of the McLaren Mercedes Formula One Team. This fruitful and winning partnership exists already in its 15th year. In the meantime our Mercedes Benz High Performance Engines arm, a wholly Daimler owned company, is in a position to supply a total of three Formula One Teams with 2,4 litre V8 engines which certainly belong to the very best in the sport. So together with Mercedes-Benz ExxonMobil has a market share of 30 percent in the highest class of international motorsport. The ExxonMobil fuels and lubricants are a deciding factor for winning races. In the 12 years since 1997 an impressive total of 60 victories were achieved from Mercedes-Benz with engines using ExxonMobil highest class products. This makes our cooperation the most successful one amongst the high volume car manufacturers. Quite definitely we would have won less without Exxon Mobil and I would like to take this opportunity to thank our partner company for all their relentless efforts to permanently develop the best products further."
The expanded involvement in Formula One will increase the opportunity for technology to be transferred from the track to the road. Mobil 1 0w-40 in the UK is a good example of this, providing outstanding/excellent engine-performance, potential fuel efficiency benefits and longer lasting engines for consumers, based on improvements made on the track.
