Sainz highlights 'seamless' value of crucial Ferrari support act

One of the most unheralded support acts in Formula 1 is that of a fuel supplier to a given team.

Among them, Shell boasts an extraordinary partnership with Scuderia Ferrari, which was founded more than 70 years ago and during which time the team has won 16 constructors' championships and 15 drivers' titles.

The technical partnership has moved through the ages as F1 has technologically advanced.

Over his three and a half years with the Scuderia, Carlos Sainz has witnessed the value of a reliable fuel partner.

"Nowadays in F1, you see it more - every detail counts, every 10th [of a second] counts to Shell who always provides maximum support at the track with the track lab that comes to every race, with two to three Shell engineers taking a sample of the oil and the fuel after every single run that we do on the track," said Sainz, speaking to RacingNews365.

"So in FP1, if we do four runs, after each one they will take a sample to analyse, fine-tune and feed back to the engineers what they see.

"This strong collaboration, this strong partnership can help provide lap time, and you can tell it's been useful over the last four years that I've been here."

Sainz hails 'amazing' work by Shell

 The lab referred to by Sainz is Shell's trackside laboratory situated within the Scuderia Ferrari HP pit garage. Its pristine nature underlines the sensitivity of the work carried out inside as there cannot be the slightest contamination of any samples.

Sainz conceded that when he first joined Ferrari and learned about the crucial role Shell plays, one of the staggering statistics he was informed of was the 21,000 working hours the petroleum giant spends developing its fuel and oil products for the team.

"The fact they put so much work into the fuel and oil we have at the track, the amount of detail they go into to try and maximise the performance on every circuit, every different condition, it's amazing," said Sainz.

"In Formula 1, there are so many different conditions, such as the heat of Miami and the altitude of, Austria, Mexico and São Paulo, and it requires a lot of understanding and a lot of experience.

"That's where those 70 years of experience between Shell and Ferrari are so important. You can tell they've been working together for a long time."

It means the work undertaken behind the sealed doors of the track lab is vital to the running of the cars.

Although Sainz is naturally aware of its importance, its integration into the Scuderia Ferrari HP garage almost goes unnoticed, but that does not mean he is blind to what goes on behind the scenes. 

"As a driver, you give your feedback after every session on how the engine feels, drivability, any issues," said Sainz. "Obviously, the engineers take notes.

"Nowadays, everything seems seamless. We do so many races that very rarely do we have any specific feedback to give.

"But having that support, it just makes it easy-going, seamless, and the fact you know you can always count on these two or three Shell engineers at every track with their laboratory, it always makes things more straightforward."