MANILA, Philippines—To the ignorant, Ferrari is the end-all and be-all of Formula One racing. But you can’t blame many people for being under the impression that Formula One is all about Ferrari—after all, racing legend Michael Schumacher (who propelled the motorsport to greater heights) cut a distinct figure in his bright red car.
Since its inception in 1950, Formula One racing has gone a long way in entering the mainstream psyche. Races are held all over the world, with the recent Singapore night race being the latest.
“The country is fantastic, and the track is a cross between Valencia and Montecarlo,” said Escuderia Ferrari’s Felipe Massa, who is known for his wild style of driving. “The night before the race, I walked around the track at 3 a.m. and went around on my bike to try to remember the route.”
But Massa, despite coming in first in the pre-qualifying race, landed in the bottom of the heap after a disastrous pit stop. The Brazilian racer was mistakenly given a go-signal, which led to his driving off with the fuel pump still attached to his car. Teammate Kimi Raikkonen also met a string of mishaps that eventually led to his crashing into a wall with minutes left in the race—and he wasn’t the first one to ram his car. All in all, it was an exciting Formula One race, one that drew thousands of tourists to the humid Lion City.
Future of motoring
But there’s more to F1 racing than cars zipping wildly on a street. “Formula One is the most extreme laboratory to develop the future of motoring,” said Juan Carlos Perez of the Shell Oil Company. “By coming up with fuels and lubricants to improve F1 racing, we improve the quality of materials for ordinary motorists as well.”
“Ninety-nine percent of the compounds in the fuel used by Ferrari for F1 racing are available in the Shell V-Power fuel purchased by motorists,” added Perez. “Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) regulations ensure that F1 fuel developments are used to lead the way to advancement in road fuel.”
“Since I started racing in F1, I’ve had a close relationship with Shell,” Massa said. “Even when I was racing with another team, we were using Shell V-Power. I do what I can to help develop V-Power into a better fuel—the driver’s input is always important. Computers can give you data, but the feeling of the car’s responsiveness to the fuel can be gleaned only from the driver.”
However, detractors point out that what could be essential in propelling an F1 car to power may not be necessary in the Philippines’ traffic-ridden streets—and who would ever want to drive a Ferrari through Edsa? But, as Shell engineer Lisa Lilley pointed out, fuel isn’t always about speed and power. “It’s also about maintaining your car, and V-Power is a fuel that keeps your engine in tip-top shape by cleaning it. Fuel, after all, is considered as a component of your engine.”
While mostly testosterone-riddled men are the ones who spend the extra pesos for V-Power fuel for their car (“They consider their cars their babies,” Lilley said, laughing), statistics show than more women are becoming interested in motorsports and as a result, in fuel as well. (A surprising number of scantily dressed, long-legged ladies were present at the Singapore race—and they weren’t just arm candy). And if the Singapore turnout is an indication of things to come, it certainly looks like we’ll be seeing more and more of racing.
