ExxonMobil boasts a tremendous history, heritage and passion in world motorsport, particularly in Formula One where our brands have been involved from the very beginning when the World Championship began at the 1950 British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
The Esso, Exxon, Mobil and Mobil 1 brands have been instrumental in the progression of fuels and lubricants in Formula One for the past seven decades by developing cutting-edge and innovative technology advances.
We have achieved this by helping to power and protect some of the most iconic cars, teams and successful drivers in Formula One history, winning multiple Drivers’ and Constructors’ World Championships along the way.
Formula One Grand Prix racing has provided us with the ultimate proving ground to develop innovative fuels and lubricants, and continues to challenge us to explore new technology solutions as the sport evolves at a rapid pace. It remains one of the most demanding environments that not only allows us to further enhance our products but also pioneer new and efficient technologies.
We have come a long way in the past 70 years of participation in Formula One, gaining insights and expertise from working directly with some of the world’s greatest racing teams who have driven us to be the very best. The work we have achieved in Formula One has enabled us to offer our customers all over the world the very best fuels and lubricants for the road.
1915 One of Mobil oil’s first victories was the 1915 Indy 500. A tradition of performance it has continued ever since.
1950 In May 1950 both Mobil and Esso brands were at Formula 1’s first GP in Silverstone and have been part of the sport ever since. This is longer than either Ferrari or Mercedes-Benz.
1973 After pioneering the development of fully synthetic oils for jet aircraft engines, Mobil began marketing Mobil 1, the world’s first globally available fully synthetic automotive engine oil. Designed to exceed industry performance specifications, Mobil 1 immediately set new standards in lubrication technology and continues to do so today.
1979-1988 Mobil enters Grand Prix racing first as a sponsor and then in 1981 as a technical partner of the Williams team. Williams and Mobil 1 go on to score 40 races wins, four Constructors titles and three Drivers titles.
1987-1992 Mobil enters a new sponsorship deal with the Benetton team. The successful six-year partnership delivered five Grand Prix victories and three top-three finishes in the Constructors’ Championship.
1995 Mobil’s involvement in Formula One is strengthened as it becomes proud partner of the McLaren Formula 1 team. The partnership marks the beginning of a program of integrated product development, which helps to deliver results both on and off the track.
1996 Mobil introduces ‘SuperSyn’ technology to the racetrack, allowing the McLaren Formula One cars to perform in extreme race conditions whilst minimising engine stress. In 2002 ‘SuperSyn’ technology is applied to Mobil 1 products for road cars.
1998-1999 Mika Häkkinen wins the Drivers’ Championship back-to-back in 1998 and 1999 while McLaren claim the Constructors’ Championship in 1998. The team wins 16 races during these two years.
2006 McLaren and ExxonMobil race their 200th Grand Prix together. Engines switch from V10 three litre to V8 2.4 litre units resulting in a new powerful blend of Mobil 1 Engine Oil bespoke to the McLaren engine.
2007-2009 Lewis Hamilton wins four races and finishes second in the 2007 Drivers’ Championship in only his first season. He eventually takes the title in 2008 with five race wins. In 2009, Hamilton won the first race for a hybrid Grand Prix race car, powered by a Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS).
2009 Mobil 1 supply lubricants to the Brawn team who win both the World Drivers’ and World Constructors’ Championship.
2015-2016 The presence of Esso, Exxon and Mobil branded fuels returns to Formula One as the official fuels partner of the McLaren-Honda Formula One team. 2016 concluded a 21-year partnership between ExxonMobil and McLaren.
2017 – Present ExxonMobil joined forces with the Oracle Red Bull Racing team, claiming 12 race wins and one Formula 1 World Drivers Championship for Max Verstappen.