Ferrari and Shell bet on E-Fuel for 2026 amid “revolutionary” combustion solutions. Ferrari and Shell: the shift to 100% biofuels.

Ferrari is fully realizing its potential, both in racing and in the supercar market. The launch of the F80 has been an extraordinary success: the car, which integrates F1 and Hypercar technology, has already been reserved by 799 lucky clients, despite a waitlist of just as many hoping to place a deposit.

In F1, the Scuderia achieved its fifth win of the season in Mexico City, following another victory in Austin, and is seriously in contention for the Constructors’ Championship, trailing McLaren by only 29 points. Ferrari’s engineers have worked hard, transforming the SF-24 into a car that can compete for the lead on any track, overcoming summer struggles against top rivals.

Red Bull and Mercedes, who outperformed Ferrari last year, now trail behind in the standings, while Ferrari’s recovery of 46 points on McLaren in the past two races suggests that the elusive title, absent since 2008, is within reach.

The 2025 project, coded as 677 and intended for Lewis Hamilton, is taking shape around the Italian engineering core, with new technical director Loic Serra striving to harmonize with the team that Fred Vasseur has organized, without disrupting an already advanced project. The new car will be completely fresh, with a pull-rod front suspension, new chassis, and gearbox case. Ferrari’s aim is to compete for both 2025 titles without waiting for the next regulatory challenge, aware that the summer’s efforts have narrowed the gap with competitors.

Loic Serra’s task goes beyond developing the SF-25. He must guide the Scuderia into the new F1 era of agile, smaller, and lighter cars. The main challenge will lie not in aerodynamics but in the power unit, which will derive 50% of its power from the internal combustion engine and 50% from the hybrid system. There are no details yet on Maranello’s new V6 engine designed by Wolf Zimmermann, but internal sources hint at “revolutionary” combustion solutions.

Another innovative aspect of the regulations is the shift to 100% biofuels, an area in which Aramco and Petronas have developed significant expertise thanks to large investments. Fuel development, unrestricted by the budget cap, offers not only an F1 performance advantage but also potential to preserve the internal combustion engine as a viable option in a mobility sector not solely reliant on electric power.

This ambitious goal is one Ferrari and Shell, its strategic partner, have decided to tackle together. Recently, a brief announcement appeared on Ferrari’s website: “Ferrari is pleased to announce the multi-year renewal of its partnership with Shell. The agreement, effective January 1, 2026, covers Scuderia Ferrari HP, Ferrari Hypercar, and the Ferrari Challenge series.”

The current contract was set to expire at the end of 2025, but renewing it early not only maintains continuity in a partnership dating back to 1950 but also helps outline Ferrari’s new goals with the Dutch multinational.

Shell reportedly wanted to develop biofuel for F1’s 2026 season. However, regulations are pushing fuel suppliers toward synthetic e-fuel, marking a paradigm shift that requires the two strategic partners to revise their plans.

Shell, which has over 500,000 employees and manages 46,000 retail sites in more than 80 countries, calls itself “the world’s #1 mobility retailer, serving 33 million customers daily. To meet its customers’ needs, Shell constantly evolves, offering fuels, lubricants, car care, and retail products and services to optimize their journeys.”

The agreement with Ferrari raises the stakes: Shell will invest in e-fuel to arrive at 2026 with a high-performance fuel that meets sustainability goals. Research into anti-knock chemical additives will be a key focus, as FIA regulations provide a significant opportunity for such research. The “right” fuel could contribute 3 to 5% to engine performance. In other words, the “gasoline war” has already begun, though, for now, quietly.