Mercedes have announced the renewal of their title and technical partnership with long-term partner Petronas from 2026 onwards. The partnership, which has ran for nearly 13 years so far, has been one of the critical components in Mercedes' success on track as Petronas provide the fuel, oil, and lubricants for their power units. The announcement for a contract renewal that begins in four years might seem unusual, but Team Principal Toto Wolff says it is an important one ahead of the planned 2026 power unit rule changes and switch to advanced sustainable fuels. “Today we are doing something a little bit unusual – announcing a partnership that will begin in four years’ time. This sends an important message: our team and Petronas are no longer just partners, we are family, and we will be one team for many more years to come,” Wolff said. "From 2026, advanced sustainable fuel will be at the heart of F1 performance – and this gives us a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate our expertise in this domain, through both the power unit and Petronas Fluid Technology SolutionsTM."
Petronas plans biorefinery for F1 and road vehicle fuel development
From 2026 onwards, F1 will move towards a target of 50% electrification from the power units and the development of 100% advanced sustainable fuels. Petronas is planning a biorefinery for both F1 and road vehicle fuel development, alongside their efforts to produce sustainable jet fuel which will help reduce their air travel carbon footprint by 50%. The team also ran an experiment between the Spa-Zandvoort-Monza triple header , which led to them significantly reducing their carbon emissions. The biorefinery will produce hydrogenated vegetable oil for on-road vehicles, diesel-powered trains, marine transportation, and petrol range products which can be included and/or upgraded for on-road vehicles. Datuk Sazali Hamzah, Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of Petronas Downstream, said: "Petronas is fully equipped with the capacity and capabilities to perfect the technology to produce and supply 100% advanced sustainable fuel for the next-generation power units. "In that same vein, we are already on track with developing a greenfield biorefinery and co-processing at our facilities to supply sustainable aviation fuel as a cleaner and more viable option for aircrafts in our effort to support the aviation industry needs."
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