World’s Tenth Largest Company Returns To F1 With Renault

Tobacco advertising may be banned from Formula One, and it may not be long before alcohol is shown the door as well – but petroleum companies are still very much needed.

And one of the biggest is now confirmed to be returning to the sport after a 20-year absence.

That company is BP, regarded as one of the top oil producers in the world and ranked tenth overall on the Fortune 500. The British energy consortium is set to undertake a new partnership with Renault, represented by the BP Ultimate and Castrol Edge brands.

Renault has long been tied to Total, but the French oil giant has been expected to be preparing its withdrawal from the sport. Rumor has it that BP could also partner with McLaren as well, which recently lost its own longtime partner Exxon-Mobil to Red Bull Racing.

Renault and Castrol last partnered to great success in the 1990s when the former provided engines and the latter its oil to the victorious Williams team, winning back-to-back world titles with Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve behind the wheel in 1996 and ’97.

While Renault, Red Bull, and McLaren shift fuel and lubricant partners, Ferrari isn’t likely to split with Shell, or Mercedes’ with title sponsor Petronas, in the foreseeable future. Many other teams, meanwhile, often stick with the fuel and lubricants used by the manufacturers whose engines they use.