Castrol Motorsport Partners

Formula 1 is the ultimate proving ground. Fiercely contested among the world’s best racing drivers, designers, engineers and automotive giants, it is the iconic pinnacle of motorsport.

It is why manufacturers identify it as the perfect arena to demonstrate technical innovation. In 2023, BWT Alpine F1 Team has assembled a fantastic all French team that includes drivers Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon.

This pursuit of excellence is the inspiration behind Castrol’s partnership with BWT Alpine F1 Team. Together we strive to win against the toughest opposition.

Modern F1 engines are incredibly sophisticated. Only three 1600cc turbo-charged hybrid units may be used by each car per 23-race season, while the internal combustion units rev to 15,000rpm and produce more than 700bhp. So, in an environment where success and failure are measured in milliseconds, marginal gains are critical.

Castrol has a team of dedicated engineers embedded in the BWT Alpine F1 Team. They work in partnership with the engineers to blend bespoke ultra-low viscosity lubricants, such as Castrol EDGE , which must be strong enough to protect these engines from the phenomenal forces at work while reducing the friction that saps crucial power.

But once the oil is deployed in the A523, Castrol’s mobile trackside support continues its work analysing its performance, monitoring quality control and the health of the Renault E-Tech power unit’s components.

This insight allows us to develop lubricants for your car whilst proudly assisting BWT Alpine F1 Team in its quest to be world champions.

Right from the very first Isle of Man TT in 1907, Castrol has been at the leading edge of competitive motorcycle racing. In fact, over the years, many of the most famous races’ winners used Castrol oil.

Over the glory years of Norton and Gilera in the 1950s, to the beginning of an extraordinary relationship with Honda in 1958, Castrol pioneered new technologies. And, as the engines became ever more sophisticated through the Japanese motorcycle revolution that ultimately led to the boom in four-stroke technology, Castrol was right there developing oils and lubricants that could master this new science.

And as the premier MotoGP™ and World Superbike classes of the sport have evolved, and the engine capacities expanded from 350 to 1000, Castrol has remained a key player, supporting the legendary riders and teams that glorified each era.

In 2023, Castrol partners the LCR Honda Castrol MotoGP™ team, which runs a Honda RC213V 280bhp 1000cc V4 motorcycle for young star Alex Marquez in the FIM MotoGP™ World Motorcycle Championship.

And only this long and glorious legacy on the track could have given us the insight to develop Castrol’s POWER1 lubricants developed especially for motorcycle.

ABB FIA Formula E is all about the future of e-mobility. Our collective understanding of how we use energy in the next generation of road-going vehicles is being driven by the technological developments made in the world’s fastest all-electric series right now.

To be successful in Formula E means harvesting and deploying energy for high performance competition in the most efficient way through battery power and energy regeneration.

To do this requires sophisticated electric motors that run at significantly more revolutions than traditional combustion engines, and advanced high-friction gearboxes that operate at extremely hot temperatures. All of these need specially-developed EV fluids that can perform effectively in unique and extreme conditions, but are also compatible with components that conduct electricity.

Formula E therefore provides the perfect environment for Castrol to collaborate, learn and win on the track while continuing to develop its advanced technology and EV fluids for today’s electric vehicles as well as those that will define the future of the automotive world.

For Season 9, the Jaguar TCS Racing Formula E Team is using Castrol’s advanced EV fluids onboard the Jaguar, building on a long and successful motorsport partnership that includes glory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Daytona.

When Björn Waldegård clinched the World Rally Drivers’ Championship in 1979, he did so with Castrol emblazoned on the side of his Ford Escort RS1800. Four decades on and Sebastien Ogier did the same in an M-Sport Ford Fiesta WRC in both 2017 and 2018.

As long as there have been world rally champions, Castrol has been at the cutting edge of the toughest motorsport on Earth, providing drivers and teams with technical support and ensuring they have the right oil to reach the finish line.

In 2023 Castrol EDGE will once again be there to underpin M-Sport and its three driving crews across four continents and 13 countries in the FIA World Rally Championship.

From the rugged mountains of Sardinia to the icy snow banks of Finland, the twisting rain-soaked hairpins of Japan and the heart-stopping asphalt of Portugal, nothing tests the fundamental elements of a car to extremes like the WRC.

And with so much of it taking place on the roads we drive on, there is no other global championship that provides a better laboratory for testing the strength of Castrol EDGE.

So no matter what you drive, or wherever you drive it, you can be certain that Castrol has already challenged your vehicle’s oil to the very limits of its environment.

Castrol is proud to continue its participation in MotoGP in 2023 with the Aprilia Racing MotoGP™ Team.

We are working together with the Aprilia Racing technical team to develop bespoke lubricants to enhance the performance of the new Aprilia RS-GP on the track.

Since their return to MotoGP™ in 2015 Aprilia have been going from strength to strength, and their commitment to being at the forefront of MotoGP™ racing is evident with a third place finish in 2022. With the team led by Spanish Aprilia veteran, Aleix Espargaro, and Maverick Vinales, 2023 is sure to be another promising year and presents great opportunities for the team and Castrol.

Almost as long as people have been racing cars and motorcycles, Castrol has been by their side providing vital support through our expertise in oils and lubricants. For more than 100 years, Castrol has been a lifeblood for racers of all levels, in all forms of competition, whether they be world champions or enthusiastic amateurs.

This hard-won faith in Castrol’s ability to improve performance and reliability through efficient liquid engineering remains as strong as ever through our customer support programmes and our Castrol EDGE range of lubricants.

Castrol’s reputation for expertise is founded on such relationships and the understanding that is engendered from drivers and engineers working with us on their journey through the sport.

Today, manufacturers recognise the importance of these relationships more than ever, and as such, Castrol is proud to partner with Renault Sport Racing on a long-term collaboration that gives all of its customer racing activities access to Castrol’s unique expertise, cutting-edge technologies and high-performance lubricants.

Castrol lubricants, which are already recommended for Renault customers on the road as part of its service fill engine oil partnership, now play a vital role in Formula Renault Eurocup, Clio Cup France and Clio Trophy France, as well as Clio Cup UK, Italia, Spain and Central Europe.

This new strategy means that at every level from junior and entry level racing series right up to Formula 1, Castrol is there standing alongside future champions as well as reigning ones, striving for new levels of performance and achieving fresh goals.