Where Chemistry Meets Performance: PETRONAS Advances Sustainable Fuel Innovation

KUALA LUMPUR, 30 September 2026 – PETRONAS’ Advanced Sustainable Fuel (ASF) is powering winning performance for the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team in Formula One’s first season of advanced sustainable fuels, extending the team’s momentum on track while meeting the sport’s 2026 sustainability requirements. PETRONAS’ Fluid Technology Solutions™ support the team’s integrated power unit at the pinnacle of motorsport.

The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) has mandated advanced sustainable fuels for 2026 as part of the sport’s commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2030. Drawing on decades of motorsport expertise, the ASF is tailored to modern hybrid power units, with energy density and combustion behaviour built for the engine it serves.

Complementing the ASF, PETRONAS Syntium engine oils and PETRONAS Tutela fluids are developed in step with the fuel, and are formulated for the higher thermal loads, greater electrical demand and new operating temperatures of today’s power unit.

“Formula One is among the most demanding proving grounds for any fuel, and a sustainable fuel that wins there carries credibility well beyond motorsport. Our position reflects sustained investment in fuel science and a long-held conviction that lower-carbon mobility will be built on solutions that perform at scale. This season’s results are a reflection of that conviction, one that continues to shape how PETRONAS serves its customers on the road and beyond,” said Datuk Seri Sazali Hamzah, Executive Vice President of Downstream Business, PETRONAS.

Those results also reflect a long-standing partnership between PETRONAS and the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team.

“Over the past 16 years, PETRONAS has been far more than a partner to our team. Its technical expertise, culture of innovation and relentless pursuit of performance have played an important role in our success. As Formula One enters a new era of advanced sustainable fuels, PETRONAS continues to demonstrate the depth of its innovation capabilities, developing solutions that meet the sport’s evolving demands while maintaining the highest standards of performance. Together, we are showing that sustainability and performance can progress hand in hand,” said Toto Wolff, Team Principal and CEO of the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team.

The partnership’s impact is now reaching customers well outside motorsport. Formula One’s adoption of advanced sustainable fuels is accelerating next-generation fuel development, and insights from ASF development already inform commercial fuels such as PETRONAS Primax in Malaysia and Brazil, carrying years of development into everyday use.

“That continuity between track and road anchors how we build our commercial fuels portfolio for the decades ahead,” added Datuk Seri Sazali Hamzah.

The same fuel expertise is now extending into a sustainable bio-based value chain. PETRONAS is developing biorefinery infrastructure to produce Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) and bio-naphtha, while deployment is already under way through HVO100 supplied for Formula One logistics, SAF for aviation partners and B24 blends for marine bunkering.

Continued investment in development and validation is building the knowledge and capabilities to apply these solutions across wider transport sectors, improving scalability and accessibility over time.

These efforts reinforce PETRONAS’ position as a leading fuel innovator, demonstrating its ability to develop high-performance, sustainable fuel solutions across some of the world’s most demanding applications.