Oil Giant Gulf Is Weirdly Sponsoring A Formula E Team

The iconic Gulf motorsport colours have made their appearance on a number of legendary race cars, including, but not limited to, the Porsche 917, Ford GT40 and Aston Martin Vantage GT4. So it might come as a bit of a surprise to find out that it’s never adorned a single-seater racer, let alone an electric-powered machine. Well, that’s about to change this weekend, with Formula E team ‘Team Aguri’ racing two Gulf-liveried cars at the Mexico ePrix.

We know what you’re thinking: why would an international oil company be sponsoring a technology that has the potential to render fossil fuels irrelevant. Well, it turns out that Gulf is keen to get on board with the new technology early, showing that the multi-national is willing to embrace change. And, despite what the guys at Greenpeace think, it’s also identified that electric vehicles won’t be the end for oil. Frank Rutten, Gulf International’s Vice President explained:

“The move reflects the changing focus of the automotive industry, with manufacturers increasingly focusing on the development of electric and hybrid vehicles. These new vehicles will require new lubricant solutions to ensure they run at optimum efficiency and to support the evolving technologies that will provide increased range, faster charging and greater durability. The Gulf brand’s involvement in Formula E will put us at the forefront of these developments.”

As a marketing opportunity we think that this a great move for Gulf. But more than that, we’re happy to see a team that has three Le Mans 24 Hours victories, several World Sportscar Championships and a number of national championships embracing the future of motorsport.

If you want to see the car in action, the Mexico ePrix is taking place this weekend at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.