Since 1947, when the first Ferrari road car rolled out the gates of Maranello filled with Shell fuels and lubricants, every vehicle produced in the famed factory has been powered and protected by Shell.

This year, Shell joins Ferrari in celebrating its 70th anniversary as a manufacturer of the world’s most charismatic and desirable road cars. The Shell Innovation Partnership with Ferrari is today, one of the most respected and recognised in the world of motoring, and one of the most decorated and celebrated in the world of motorsport.

Meet the team

Guy Lovett

Guy Lovett

Guy Lovett

Guy is responsible for the technology projects for Shell’s Innovation Partnership with Scuderia Ferrari, its Technical Partnership with Ducati in MotoGP and also with the ACO as the sole fuel supplier of World Endurance Championships. He is currently based out of the Shell Technology Centre in Hamburg, where he looks after delivering performance for partners in Formula 1® and beyond.

Benoit Poulet

Benoit Poulet

Benoit Poulet

Benoît leads the team that develops Shell V-Power fuels for Scuderia Ferrari. He splits his time between the Shell Technology Centre in Hamburg and the Scuderia Ferrari Gestione Sportiva in Maranello, working with a team of fuel scientists and engineers to co-create new fuel formulations as the new Scuderia Ferrari power unit is being developed and improved. 

Drew Stinton

Drew Stinton

Drew Stinton

Drew supports Scuderia Ferrari in the Shell Trackside Laboratory at all Formula 1® races. He is in charge of setting up, servicing and maintaining Shell’s analytical equipment and facilities in the paddock, and conducting all fuels and lubricants tests over a race weekend. When he isn’t on the road, Drew is often in Maranello, conducting maintenance on Shell’s two Trackside Labs.

Marcel Ehlert

Marcel Ehlert

Marcel Ehlert

Marcel splits his time between two of Shell’s major motorsport partners, supporting the Shell Trackside team in Formula 1 and also coordinating fuel logistics and delivery for the World Endurance Championship. 

Jennifer Plueckhahn

Jennifer Plueckhahn

Jennifer Plueckhahn

Jennifer, or Jenny as most of the team know her, has just finished her first season on the road as a member of the Shell Trackside team. She splits her time between traveling to races, and the Shell Technology Centre in Hamburg, coordinating projects and timelines for new formulation development across the Shell Motorsport portfolio. 

Paul Johnson

Paul Johnson

Paul Johnson

Paul is part of the team of Shell scientists that support Scuderia Ferrari at each race, testing fuels and lubricants from the Shell Trackside Laboratory. On top of setting up the lab at each race and making sure all instruments are functioning exactly as they should, he also supports the development of new Shell V-Power race fuel formulations in between race weekends. This season will be his first as part of the Shell Trackside team.

Guy Lovett and Kimi Raikkonen promoting shell-v-power

Sentiments echoed by Ian Albiston, Shell Formula 1 Trackside Delivery Manager, who is well placed to comment having been an integral part of Shell’s association with Scuderia Ferrari for more than 15 years.

He said: “We really do feel like part of the team when we are at races, as well as when we are on-site at the factory in Maranello, and there can be few greater thrills professionally for any of us than when we see the prancing horse crossing that finish line first.”

Evocative words, but when put in this context, completely understandable. To work at the top of your field can be thrilling enough in itself, and that is certainly true of the work that the Shell Track Lab team are doing day-to-day. However, when you throw in the inherently exciting world of Formula 1 and an iconic institution such as Scuderia Ferrari, few could blame anyone involved for experiencing a little extra frisson.

This will undoubtedly be true for the latest recruit to the Shell Track Lab team, Jennifer Plückhahn, who embarks on her first season. For someone so young – a mere 22 years old – this could be considered a daunting environment to enter, but having grown up as a trainee within Shell, she is ready to contribute to the extensive technical service the team offer Scuderia Ferrari at every race.

She said: “I’m really excited to join the team. I’ve gained experience at testing and am excited to get to some races. I’ve also spent time at the Scuderia Ferrari factory in Maranello, where I have worked on the new fly-away lab. It’s just really cool to be putting my training with Shell to such exciting use.”

Speaking of which, that particular lab that is flown to every race situated outside of Europe, has been completely redesigned with the goal of making it lighter and therefore more efficient to transport. With the Formula 1 calendar visiting every corner of the globe, such savings will be critical in lowering the carbon footprint of this particular Shell programme.

“Formula 1 is known for its pursuit of innovative technology and space age materials, and the fly-away lab will be no different – we’ve put carbon fibre everywhere!” says Trackside Analyst, Drew Stinton, who has been responsible for managing much of this transformation, which has seen the lab’s weight reduced by some 20%.

“The work we do at races is critical to the performance of Scuderia Ferrari, testing upwards of 40 fuel and 30 oil samples respectively over the course of a weekend. However, the work we have done on the lab, while less tangible or indeed visible to many, is crucial to Shell in its quest for optimum efficiency in the Formula 1 programme.”

Exciting times then for all of those involved in Shell’s Innovation Partnership with Scuderia Ferrari, but especially the Track Lab Team, as they look to power the team to an 11th FIA Formula One World Constructors’ Championship™ together.

More in Motorsports

Shell’s Innovation Partnership with Scuderia Ferrari

Revisit one of the longest running partnerships in motorsport and learn about the remarkable moments and celebrated victories that have made this association so successful.

From racetrack to roadside

Discover how the technological advances that power Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1® cars find their way into your vehicle via Shell V-Power and Shell Helix.