DR. TONY HARLOW

ExxonMobil’s Consultant Engineer for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes on 18 years of partnership and innovation

'; ?> How long have you been Mobil 1’s man on the ground?
I’ve worked for ExxonMobil for 40 years and I’ve been on the program with McLaren since day one, since that first in Brazil ’95 when they finished fourth (Hakkinen) and sixth (Blundell).

How would you describe the relationship between ExxonMobil and McLaren?
The relationship’s grown and developed over the years, but at its core is mutual respect. Each company has huge respect for the other, and it’s a very close and trusting relationship. Each understands the other’s needs, which means delivering all of the products we can to help the racecar go quicker.

How much can Mobil 1 influence car performance?
Significantly, and we do that through fuels, lubricants and greases. We meet the engineers from McLaren a minimum of four times a year away from the racetrack for in-depth technical development discussions. In each of those meetings we look short term, medium term and long term. The goalposts move quite frequently as the technical regulations change, which is why the cars look so different today to the ones we started with in 1995. We’re always looking for more power, more reliability and eventually those gains filter down to our customers on the road.

Is there one period during the last 17 years that stands out as the most rewarding?
The technical challenge excites me as much today as it did back in ’95. There have been periods of more intense activity, but it’s difficult to think of one period that was more rewarding than the rest. The switch to eight engines per year and five-race gearboxes has been interesting because it’s brought longer-term reliability aspects. But we’ve always had pretty good reliability, so it’s unfair to pick out this era. In answer, I’ve loved it all and I’m already looking forward to the challenges provided by the new 2014 engine regulations.

Are you able to pick one standout moment in the course of the last 300 races?
The race that stands out is David Coulthard’s win in Australia 1997. It was the beginning of a new season and it was our first race win together; that was special.

How have the fuels and lubes changed since ’95?
There has been an evolution of our technologies during that period. We’ve always been looking for more power, but there are now other factors that are equally crucial – things like fuel economy, fuel efficiency and the overall protection provided by the lubricants.

How many upgrades do you introduce each year?
There are usually two or three fuel upgrades throughout the year. Those upgrades are a combination of power, weight, efficiency – it amounts to milliseconds per lap. But every little helps in Formula 1™, so we keep pushing!

Can you blend a specific fuel for a specific track?
You can in theory, but we’ve looked at it and we don’t believe that the gains are significant enough to make it worthwhile. You’d need to change the engine as well and it would be a lot of work.

How tough is it to ensure that the fuel complies with the FIA?
You have to be diligent. First, there’s the blending of the fuel to ensure it complies with the technical regulations. The regulations are now well defined, due to fuel suppliers – including ourselves – working closely with the FIA. Then there’s the matter of contamination. You have to ensure you don’t bring in any foreign fluids, like brake cleaner or some other solvent, because that’s enough to get you excluded and that’s one of my jobs.

Can you describe your trackside role for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes?
I provide immediate feedback to the team, using our MAC (Mobil Analytical Centre) Unit. First I check that the fuel is legal. One drop in 1000 is enough to get you excluded, so we run a gas chromatograph to ensure that no matter when the FIA takes a fuel sample, we’re sure we’re legal. Then I work with an oil analyzer, which can measure up to 18 different elements – all of the primary wear metals – in tenths of parts per million. I take an oil sample from the engine, an oil sample from the gearbox and an oil sample from the hydraulics system and I provide the engineers with an instant health check on each of those units.

How useful is that data for the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes engineers?
It’s very important because the engine and gearbox are sealed by the FIA and there are few other ways of seeing inside the engine. The lubricating oil carries an awful lot of information in it, which we’re able to tap into by using an oil analyzer.

How have your MAC Unit health checks improved since ’95?
We’ve made major steps in this area. We’re generating a lot of numbers, so we’re able to generate “go” and “no go” charts that tell us whether we’re operating normally.

Can a lot of what ExxonMobil learns in Formula 1™ be used in other racing series?
Not directly, but the technology derived from Formula 1™ has led to a Mobil 1 series of racing lubricants that are used in NASCAR and other racing series.

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