The McLaren Honda Formula 1 Team have finally confirmed their much-anticipated move to BP/Castrol for fuel and lubricants, in 2017.
ExxonMobil, who had been the Woking based squads supplier for the past 21 years, were lured away by Red Bull Racing this season and so McLaren were forced to strike a deal elsewhere.
BP already work in conjunction with McLaren Applied Technologies, and seemed like the perfect partner for the F1 team, possibly aided by Castrol’s close ties to Honda in other race series. They will also supply the McLaren Automotive side of the business as well.
A range of performance lubricants specifically designed for Honda’s Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) will be produced, and McLaren will also be able to benefit from Castrol’s high performance lubricants and greases.
Technology Group Chief Operating Officer, Jonathan Neale, was pleased to be able to confirm details of the new partnership.
“This agreement between McLaren, BP and Castrol is between brands who both share a long-standing and well-recognised passion for innovation in all we do. Our McLaren-Honda team provides a global platform for Castrol to supply bespoke advanced lubricant technology.”
McLaren Automotive Chief Executive Officer, Mike Flewitt, also commented on the significance of the collaboration.
“The partnership between McLaren Automotive and Castrol is an important step in our journey to deliver the highest levels of performance and efficiency from the engines in our Sports and Super car ranges.
“Not only will the lubricants provided by Castrol play a wide-ranging role in delivering the efficiencies across our existing cars, but our future engine generations as well.”
Castrol also expressed their delight at the deal on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/Castrol/status/830017515401179136
Fuel is set to add a boost in performance under the new F1 engine regulations, and BP have a strong heritage in the motorsport arena, which McLaren will no doubt be keen to tap into.
BP/Castrol will also supply the Renault Sport Formula 1 Team in 2017.