Shell: the real challenge of the 2026 petrol revolution

2026 marks the advent of new generation fuels, synthesized entirely from advanced sustainability raw materials. This is an absolute novelty for Formula 1, in which the biggest challenge is to optimize the emissions of the production process, so as to enjoy greater freedom in the formulation of a petrol that guarantees maximum performance. FormulaPassion explored the topic in depth together with Valeria Loreti, Technology Manager of Shell Motorsport, supplier and partner of Scuderia Ferrari HP also for the next cycle. A paradigm shift “There is a fundamental change in the concept of fuel and it does not concern the chemistry of the final molecules,” explains Loreti. “These are always hydrocarbons. The difference lies not in that, but in the origin of the carbon atoms at the base of the molecules. Until today we had the possibility of extracting everything from oil. This is the fundamental change: in the new 2026 fuel, oil cannot be used, except for 1% of the molecules, as additives, denaturants and other similar things that cannot be obtained otherwise. 99% of the molecules in petrol, however, must be extracted and processed by something else”. The starting point is therefore the choice of the advanced sustainability components most suitable for obtaining the hydrocarbon molecules with which to synthesize the final fuel. Loreti continues: “There is a very wide variety of feedstocks, of raw materials from which we begin to work. For example, there are residues from agriculture, the wood industry, paper, the food chain, municipal waste such as rubbish, organic waste or recycled plastic. There is a very wide variety, the result of the technological freedom granted by the FIA ​​starting from the material”. “We need to understand which processes can be used on a certain material, how easy it is to produce and what can be extracted from it. From sugar cane processing residues, for example, ethanol can be obtained, which can then be further modified.” The properties of 2026 petrol, therefore, depend on the production processes and raw materials that offer the greatest freedom to optimize its composition. “The idea is that research is no longer just on the final product and the best formulation for the engine, but that it moves back in the chain to understand what feedstocks are available, what materials and molecules it can extract, what processes it should use and how to optimize them”. The limits to be respected The new regulation offers greater freedom in the composition of the fuel, but introduces other limits on the production process. The Delivery Manager of Shell Motorsport explains: “The new directives for 2026 impose a limit on the emissions linked to the extraction process of these molecules. It is a bit as if the environmental impact were counted. The principle on which the FIA refers is the Renewable Energy Directive, the mother of all European fuel regulations. It establishes, for example, that all feedstocks are second generation and that they must not compete with the food chain, which is why it cannot use wheat. If biological residues are used, the fields must not have been cultivated specifically for that.” Photo by Stephanie Tacy/NurPhoto via Getty Images “All this is calculated based on which raw materials are used. You must demonstrate that you have respected all the criteria, documenting the chemical process applied to obtain the final molecules and the energy used. The more energy you use, the greater the equivalent emissions of carbon dioxide. The type of energy also matters, because if it comes from a fossil source it will have a higher equivalent emission than the renewable one. All of this can always be optimized and improved. The supply chain also matters, that is, how I move it the molecules from the production plant. In our case, all Formula 1 fuels are blended at the Shell Technology Center in Hamburg.” The similarities with the budget cap It is a regulatory mechanism that has some similarities with the budget cap. The challenge is to get the most out of the resources granted, which in this case are not spendable money, but rather the carbon emissions of the production process. “When making the formulation, you have three parameters: performance, efficiency and environmental impact, i.e. the equivalent emissions of CO2. You have to find the balance between all three. Naturally, performance cannot be sacrificed and neither can efficiency. You have to find the right process and molecules and, if I don’t have them, I have to come up with a way to optimize everything. You can change the supply chain or the production technique itself. For example, there are catalytic processes that take me from alcohols to a mixture of hydrocarbons similar to petrols: I have to understand if they suit me, if I should refine them further and if I should add something else to them”. Just like the budget cap, there is also a check on compliance with the emissions ceiling. Loreti continues: “The calculation is done on the final mixture, which is why all the individual components and processes are checked. There is a third party from the FIA ​​that takes care of the audit. The equivalent CO2 emissions are calculated and compared with those associated with a traditional petrol of fossil origin. The reference value can always be found in the Renewable Energy Directive”. This is a limit subject to the variability of European legislation: “They are sustainable fuels, not neutral, because the reduction of equivalent gases is 65-70% or more. This is the reference defined in the Renewable Energy Directive in force in this period. If next year they made a change to this regulation and the objective became higher, then it would automatically become higher for us in Formula 1 too”. A long-term project For Shell, the 2026 fuel is the product of work that lasted four years: “We started working on this project at the beginning of 2022, when the fuel in use was frozen. As we could no longer change it, we diverted our attention directly to 2026. We had four years for a very different research project from the one carried out so far, not only because we had to understand these advanced sustainability components, but precisely because of the time available, which allowed us to explore various avenues and various ways of conceiving fuel. We had the opportunity to try things that we otherwise wouldn’t have been able to, completely new molecules. These are things that you can’t do if you have little time, because if they don’t work, you’ll be left with nothing in your hands.” “This exploratory phase has allowed us to understand which molecules we really want but which are nowhere to be found, how we can create them, where we can start, which processes we can exploit”. In these four years Shell has gone through a divergent phase, exploring all the possibilities present at the moment, also with a view to the future. The regulation, in fact, will allow the fuel specification to be updated in 2027 and then again in 2029. Valeria Loreti concludes: “We continue to look for new opportunities and new molecules today, because there may be processes that are still in their embryonic phase and which are too uncertain today, but which within two years could lead us to something interesting”.