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KUALA LUMPUR – Behind Mercedes-AMG Petronas’ new sustainable fuel lies a distinctly Malaysian contribution, with Petronas chief Datuk Seri Sazali Hamzah revealing that local specialists played a key role in its development.
As Formula One (F1) embraces its new generation of power-unit regulations, Petronas has taken on the challenge of developing Advanced Sustainable Fuel (ASF) for Mercedes.
Sazali said the expertise behind the fuel was homegrown.
“This fuel has been developed by local Malaysian fuel specialists.
“There are three main players in this development and I’m really proud that they are actually from the home ground,” he said during a Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS media session in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
Sazali said Petronas had been working continuously with Mercedes as part of their long-standing relationship, which began in 2010.
The latest ASF development began in 2022 as the two organisations prepared for FIA regulations that came into effect this year.
Sazali said the fuel was developed from renewable feedstock, waste material and non-food biomass.
Importantly, he described it as a “drop-in fuel”, meaning it can be used without requiring engine modifications.
“It’s a drop-in fuel so it works with any engine. We don’t need modification, it’s just like normal fuel, you can replace it with normal fossil fuel,” he said.
Sazali said the partnership with Mercedes allows Petronas to develop and enhance fuel and related applications under extreme conditions before translating the technology into wider applications.
“We see that in Formula 1, there is a lot of opportunity for us to develop and enhance our fuel and also related applications.
“So we believe that with the innovation and also technology that we developed together with the engine, we put us always at front and that gives us a lot of opportunity to translate that capability into daily-day use,” he said.
The challenge, he added, was making sure the technologies could ultimately be practical while delivering the required quality.
Sazali said Petronas had also worked on future fuels ahead of formal sustainability requirements, allowing the company to develop specifications before they became necessary.
“So before it comes into, for example, sustainability requirement, so we have developed all the specifications earlier than other players so that we are ready when it is available to the market,” he said.
