Each team must submit 10 litres of the fuel it intends to use to the FIA. A laboratory then examines whether the fuel complies with technical regulations and whether it is indeed a fuel that has been approved for commercial use. Throughout the race weekends, the FIA technical delegate takes random samples. The samples are analysed in a gas chromatograph. If the samples do not match up, then the stewards can issue a penalty. A team can change its fuel several times during a season, but it must always submit a sample to the FIA.

In Formula 1, unleaded four-star petrol is used – very similar to that available at petrol filling stations. “Formula 1 gasoline cannot contain compounds that are not found in commercial gasoline;” states Rogério Gonçalves, Motorsport Technical Co-ordinator of the petrol distributor Petrobras, who transports 2,200 litres of fuel to every Grand Prix. The FIA is pursuing two objectives with its fuel regulations: a product transfer to everyday road traffic is assured; apart from that, the level of emissions is lower than it previously was, when the petroleum companies experimented with more than 300 compositions per season. Since 1992, Formula 1 petrol has been lead free. “Proof of this is that today the Formula 1 gasoline specification is already the same that will be applied to commercial gasoline in Europe in the year 2005,” states Gonçalves.

Working within the framework of the regulations, the energy suppliers for the various Formula 1 engines are restricted to making decisions that amount to no more than nuances, and it is all in the detail. The following generally applies: when a kilogram of petrol is combusted, carbon dioxide, water and approximately 40,000 kilojoules of energy in the form of heat are released (by comparison a person uses on average roughly 9,500 kilojoules daily for medium exertion). However, Formula 1 engines are high-performance ‘athletes’ that require customised nourishment. Therefore, the petrol suppliers match their products exactly to each individual engine, while still conforming to the regulations.

The set of requirements is quite clear: Petrol should enhance the performance capability of the engine and it has to be as light as possible, while also having as low a consumption as possible. This in turn enables the car’s gross weight to be kept low and fuelling time to be shortened, when it has petrol pumped into the tank at 12 litres per second. Therefore, fuel can bring about a competitive advantage. If fuel enables a team to stay out on the circuit for one or two laps more than the rivals, then that could be decisive for the race outcome.

Fuel consumption is one of the best-kept secrets among the teams. On average, roughly 70 litres are combusted per 100 kilometres in an engine with more than 900 hp – that’s roughly 0.078 litres per 1 hp. Looked at this way, a Formula 1 car, when compared with a compact class vehicle with 75 hp and a fuel consumption of 7 litres per 100 kilometres (0.093 litres per 1 hp), performs extremely efficiently.

Consumption, environmental pollution and engine compatibility are also major factors in terms of petrol for passenger cars. To provide low-sulphur and sulphur-free fuel, as is currently the case in Germany and Austria, the petroleum industry had to invest significant amounts in new desulphurisation plants. The outlay was well worth it.

“Keeping the sulphur content in the fuel as low as possible leads to reduced emissions of the exhaust-gas components, such as carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides, as well as particulate emissions in diesel fuel,” says Dr. Christoph Lauterwasser from the Allianz Centre for Technology (AZT). “It also improves fuel consumption. On top of that, sulphur-free fuel is a prerequisite for new, environmentally-friendly vehicle technologies. It clears the way for catalytic converters with a hydrocarbon trap and more economical engines with direct petrol injection.”

But chemical additives also play a decisive role in terms of petrol quality. These additives are admixed to the order of up to one percent. Development of new additives, matched to the latest engines, represents yet another important task for petroleum company research. Combustion that is controlled increasingly accurately requires that an engine does not generate any disturbing residues – from the carburettor and injection valves right up to the intake valve. Thus additives help to prevent oxidation processes, guard against the petrol’s ageing process and reduce any deposits that have already formed.

Naturally, besides the quality of the fuel, the driver – as always – exerts a decisive influence on the fuel consumption level. “It is possible to save up to 25 percent if the driver learns to drive consistently in an economical way,” explains Dr. Lauterwasser. “The main factor is changing up to the next gear in good time. Modern engines can shift gears even under 2,000 revolutions. A medium-class car consumes 11.5 litres per 100 kilometres at 45 km/h in second gear, but in fifth gear it only uses 4.3 litres. By driving with foresight you can also avoid unnecessary braking or accelerating. Furthermore, many car drivers underestimate the fact that the electrical outlets, such as the air-conditioning system or the rear-window heating, also consume a great deal of energy. And, last but not least, you can help the environment a great deal by leaving your car and going short distances on foot, because a cold engine uses up a great deal of fuel to warm up and a cold catalytic converter takes a while to start operating.”

Is fuel efficiency also a topic of importance for Formula 1 drivers? Well, yes, under certain circumstances. All you have to do is ask any of the drivers who have run out of fuel before reaching the pit lane.