What Oil Do F1 Cars Use?

Formula 1 cars use bespoke, team-specific lubricants supplied by oil and lubricant partners; no single type of oil is used by all teams. For example, Red Bull uses Mobil 1, Ferrari uses Shell, and Mercedes uses Petronas. These oils are highly technical and are designed to perform specific functions such as cooling, lubrication, and performance optimization under extreme conditions. 

The role of oil in Formula 1 cars:

• Lubrication: Oil creates a thin film, sometimes only a micron thick, to prevent metal-on-metal contact between moving parts like the crankshaft and pistons, which reduces heat and wear.
• Cooling: Oil circulates through the engine, absorbing heat from internal components and carrying it to radiators to be dissipated, helping to maintain the engine’s optimal temperature.
• Performance: The specific viscosity and additives in the oil are carefully selected to balance reliability with performance enhancement by reducing friction.
• Cleanliness: The oil keeps the engine clean by suspending soot particles and other residues, which helps maintain engine reliability. 

What Oil Is Used In F1 Cars?

No two F1 teams have the same oil in their cars since different F1 teams have different oil or lubricant partners. F1 teams will be able to use the highest quality synthetic base stock of high-performance racing oil that each oil business has to offer before blending a variety of oils specifically for the team.

Fully synthetic base stocks are required for high-performance racing oils, such as those used by F1 teams, as these are the only ones for which the oil producer can provide the necessary consistency in temperature resistance and performance. Fully synthetic base stock can also be molecularly created to meet the various requirements of the F1 team.

In recent seasons, the FIA’s push toward net-zero carbon targets has led lubricant suppliers to develop synthetic oils with bio-derived components. These oils retain the thermal stability and low-volatility properties required for high-load engine performance while reducing overall environmental impact. F1 lubricant partners now incorporate renewable base oil fractions where possible, aligning their development strategies with the sport’s sustainability objectives.

Each oil producer has a molecular engineering research and development team that collaborates closely with the F1 team to continuously adjust the synthetic base stock to chemical additive ratio to personalize the oil for peak performance. Because the air pressure and temperature at the F1 racing tracks change during the season, it is typical to have engine oil specially formulated for each circuit’s particular characteristics.

Oil development no longer relies solely on track testing. Lubricant partners work with F1 teams using full-scale engine dyno rigs and digital simulation environments to validate oil blends under race-representative conditions. These platforms replicate load cycles, temperatures, and pressure spikes seen in real races, allowing engineers to fine-tune formulations before they are ever poured into an engine. Some teams employ digital twin models of their power units to predict oil degradation and adapt strategies across a race weekend.

One of the parts of the sport that was historically least controlled was the engine oils used in F1 cars. The FIA limited the amount of engine oil that could be burned during a race in 2018, which brought about a change. The FIA also made it clearer what constituted F1 engine oil, defining it as “a material that must be readily recognizable as a lubricant.

What Grade Of Oil Is Used In F1 Cars?

The most popular Group IV full-synthetic PAO base oil blend with a 10W-60 viscosity rating is the source of the base stock for F1 cars.

The HTHS (High Temperature/High Shear) viscosity requirement of higher than 3.7 mPas is necessary since F1 engines operate at 15000 rpm and 300 °C. This is greater than “typical” racing oil, which has a minimum pressure of 3.5 mPas.

If the viscosity of the engine oil is too low, there won’t be enough defence against wear. This is important since each car can only replace a power unit so many times in the current period.

Additionally, engine oil with low viscosity will carbonise (burn-off) more quickly. Teams cannot afford for their engine oil to burn off too quickly since the FIA has set the maximum oil consumption threshold of any power unit at 1.2 litres per 100 kilometres.

What Is Special About F1 Engine Oil?

An F1 engine runs at far higher temperatures and pressures while rotating at a rate of 15,000 rpm. For teams to get the most racing weekends out of each power unit, the engine oil they use needs to be able to handle these circumstances and provide maximum protection against wear.

Teams accomplish this by adding chemicals to the base stock of their entirely synthetic high-performance oil. Each squad jealously controls its own secret additive ratio. The kinds of additives each team can use are listed in the table below, along with descriptions of what each addition does.

• Viscosity Index Improvers: Increase resistance to heat and harsh conditions
• Pour Point Depressants: Lower the oil’s freezing point in cold environments
• Anti-wear Additives: Prevent metal-to-metal contact under extreme load
• Detergents and Dispersants: Keep internal engine parts clean and prevent sludge buildup
• Oxidation Inhibitors: Maintain oil stability over long service intervals
• Corrosion and Rust Inhibitors: Prevent internal corrosion caused by moisture or condensation
• Defoamants: Prevent cavitation and oil foaming in high-speed systems

How Does F1 Engine Oil Protect Hybrid Systems?

Modern F1 power units rely on integrated hybrid components, specifically the MGU-H (Motor Generator Unit – Heat) and MGU-K (Motor Generator Unit – Kinetic). These components operate at extremely high temperatures and rotational speeds, with the MGU-H often reaching 125,000 rpm. The engine oil is not limited to lubricating pistons and crankshafts; it also plays a crucial role in cooling and insulating the hybrid units.

The MGU-H, mounted on the turbocharger shaft, is especially sensitive to thermal degradation. The oil must maintain a stable viscosity to prevent bearing failure or electrical insulation breakdown under sustained thermal loads. The MGU-K, connected to the crankshaft via a high-speed geartrain, also depends on constant lubrication to reduce friction and resist foaming during braking energy recovery and rapid discharge events.

Lubricant partners design specific formulations with enhanced thermal stability and dielectric strength to protect these systems. These additives must meet FIA standards for chemical composition and must not interfere with energy recovery efficiency or electrical conductivity. Any variation in oil performance across a race weekend could lead to irreversible hybrid system wear or outright failure.

How Much Oil Is Used in F1 Cars?

During a race, Formula 1 vehicles can need up to 5 litres of oil. The FIA caps the flow of fuel at 100kg per hour. Any oil that is consumed in the engine is consequently added fuel, which raises the engine’s power output.

Teams pay strict attention to how much oil an F1 car consumes. A surplus of oil at the finish line may add nearly a kilogram of weight over the potentially crucial last five circuits. A power unit that has insufficient oil could fail and not reach the finish line. To finish first, you must first complete.

The FIA has set a limit on the oil usage of any power unit at no more than 1.2 litres per 100km to make things more difficult for teams. That equals 60ml each lap. These restrictions were cut in half for the 2018 season, at 0.6 litres per 100 kilometres, or around 30 ml per lap. There are still restrictions on how much oil may be consumed.

Teams must modify their oil viscosity from race to race due to the cap put on the consumption rate and the necessity to guarantee there is enough oil left over at the end of the Grand Prix. A race’s starting weight will increase if the viscosity is too high, while a low viscosity will result in more consumption and a larger risk of violating the FIA’s oil consumption regulations.

Does Thicker Oil Work Better For F1 Racing?

The 15000 rpm engines of F1 cars spin at extreme temperatures. Any oil will grow thinner as it warms up. The oil used in Formula One car engines must be thicker so that as it heats up, it will still be able to adequately coat all of the engine parts.

Since F1 engines are dry-sump engines, there is no oil sump sloshing about under the engine while the car turns at a high rate of speed. F1 cars include an exterior oil tank that supplies oil to the engine and other components, improving the car’s balance when travelling at high speeds.

If the oil of an F1 car is somewhat thinner, it can be burned in the engine as extra fuel to provide more power. This is a practical strategy for qualifying because a little extra power can go a long way. For the actual race, teams can switch to heavier oil. For qualifying, the auxiliary oil tank must be empty; however, for the race, it is full, making it simple to add thicker oil to the lubrication system.

Do F1 Teams Use Different Oil for Qualifying and the Race?

F1 teams often run different oil strategies for qualifying and race sessions, taking advantage of FIA regulations that allow pre-approved oils to be swapped between sessions. The key difference lies in balancing outright performance versus long-term reliability.

During qualifying, teams may choose a lower-viscosity oil to reduce internal friction and increase power delivery. Since engine longevity is not a concern over a single flying lap, the focus is purely on maximising peak output.

Race-day blends, however, must withstand much longer operating periods under fluctuating loads and temperatures. These oils typically:

• Feature higher viscosity to provide stronger film protection over a full Grand Prix distance
• Include a more robust additive package for wear protection, oxidation stability, and thermal resilience
• Are selected based on ambient track conditions, which affect oil temperature and cooling rates

FIA regulations require that all qualifying and race oils be declared in advance and approved prior to use. Teams must also ensure that post-race oil samples remain within the approved formulation range, allowing for a 10% blend tolerance between approved oils as per FIA Section 16.11.3.

This dual-oil strategy reflects how crucial lubricant chemistry is in extracting both short-term and long-term engine performance under F1’s restrictive component lifespan rules.

How Much Oil Can An F1 Engine Hold?

The two oil capacity or volume limiting considerations listed in the FIA regulations are

• The first is the 0.6 litres of oil consumed per 100 kilometres of racing. To control this, “FIA must always be provided with the measurement of the oil level in the main oil tank. The oil tank that is directly attached to the engine oil feed at the oil pressure pump’s input is known as the main oil tank (Section 5.24.3 of the 2022 FIA regulations).
• The second limitation relates to the largest possible size of the auxiliary oil tank (AOT). “The AOT’s combined volume, including its connections to the engine, cannot exceed 2.5 litres. A solenoid is required to manage the flow of oil between the AOT and the engine (Section 5.24.5 of the 2022 FIA regulations). By pressing the “oil” button on the F1 steering wheel, the solenoid is turned on.

How Do F1 Teams Test Engine Oil Before a Grand Prix?

Before race weekends begin, every F1 team rigorously tests new oil formulations on engine dynos to simulate real-world stress conditions. These dynamometer tests replicate the thermal loads, RPM profiles, and pressure cycles a power unit will face across a race weekend, without the risk of failure on track. This allows teams and lubricant engineers to gather precise data on how the oil behaves under track-specific conditions.

Dyno simulations help determine:

• Viscosity retention at sustained high temperatures
• Shear stability under high load and rpm
• Deposit control on critical engine components
• Compatibility with hybrid components and seals
• Evaporation rate, which affects oil consumption metrics

These simulations are especially useful when teams anticipate extreme conditions, such as high ambient temperatures at venues like Bahrain or Mexico City. Engineers can fine-tune the formulation and approve which blend will go into the car for free practice, qualifying, and race day.

Each blend must still be submitted to the FIA for approval before it can be used competitively. The dyno results help teams determine which blend to nominate in accordance with Section 16.10.2 of the FIA Technical Regulations.

How Frequently Do F1 Cars Change Their Oil?

Other than the fact that cars cannot change or top up their oil in the pits during a race, there is nothing in the FIA regulations that restricts the number of times a team can change the oil in an F1 car during a race weekend.

Each team has a variety of engine oils available for use each race weekend. However, before they can be used in competition, each of those readily available oils must first undergo testing and receive official authorization from the FIA. (Section 16.10.2 of the FIA rules for 2022).

To enforce regulation, the FIA uses a chemical fingerprinting process. Every team must submit a reference sample of each approved oil, which becomes the baseline against which post-race samples are tested. These samples are analysed using gas chromatography and other chemical breakdown techniques to detect any deviation. If a sample differs from the approved reference, the team must prove the variance is from pre-approved oil blends and falls within a 10 percent contamination threshold. This system prevents teams from using performance-enhancing additives outside of FIA guidelines.

Teams use free practice to test various engine oils in a racing-like setting before deciding which engine oil each driver will use for qualifying and the race. The FIA must be notified once the team has decided which oil it will use during the race. “Each Competitor shall disclose, in writing, the type of oil to be used in each of his or her engines throughout each Competition”. (Section 16.11.1 of the 2022 FIA regulations)

Because of this, it is possible that each run a car does during the first free practice session and, in some situations, the second session, will be done with a different engine oil combination. That is a lot of oil changes in a short period of time.

As you might expect, changing engine oil so frequently over the course of a Grand Prix weekend will inevitably result in a little amount of one engine oil’s residue mingling with the next oil to be tested. The FIA acknowledged this as well and changed the rules governing the technical inspectors’ engine oil testing after each Grand Prix.

The chemical composition of the oil is known as the “reference engine oil” that samples taken from each car after each race can be compared to when a team submits oil to the FIA for approval. “Samples that deviate from the reference engine oil in a way consistent with the mixing with other engine oils, which have been approved by the FIA for use by the team at a Competition, will be deemed to comply, provided that the adulterant oils are overall present at no more than 10% in the sample,” states the FIA. (Section 16.11.3 of the 2022 FIA regulations)

Which Oil Is Used By Each F1 Team?

Each team on the F1 grid has an official lubricant partner that collaborates with team engineers to provide a variety of engine lubricants best suited to that team’s engines’ characteristics at various ambient temperatures.

• Red Bull Racing: Mobil 1
• Ferrari: Shell
• Mercedes: Petronas
• McLaren: Gulf Oil
• Aston Martin: Aramco
• Alpine: Castrol
• Williams: Gulf
• Visa Cash App RB: ExxonMobil
• Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber: Petronas
• Haas F1 Team: Mobil 1

Analysis for this article was provided by The Punters Page, where understanding the science behind team decisions is just as critical as betting on F1. In a sport where teams refuse to gamble with their oil formulations, neither should punters take chances without the right insight.