Petrobras to refuel Williams' ambitions.

WilliamsF1 enters this weekend's French Grand Prix hoping that revised fuel from long-time partner Petrobras will help power it back towards the front of the grid.

The Grove team has struggled to match the highs of Malaysia - where Nico Rosberg qualified on the second row - and Monaco - where Mark Webber ran with the leaders until retirement - and currently lies a lowly eighth in the constructors' championship after a series of disappointing results. However, the return to Europe after the two North American 'flyaways' will be marked by the introduction of an upgraded version of Petrobras' F1 fuel, the 17-PodiumF1, which has been developed in conjunction with engine partner, Cosworth.

The collaboration has been especially important as Cosworth will introduce the new Series 6.01 specification in France, and Petrobras has spent a significant amount of time testing its new product on the engine giant's dynamometers in order to achieve a blend which maximises engine performance. Track tests have also been carried out in order to enhance power output while reducing fuel consumption. Once the best composition was identified, the new fuel was evaluated over longer runs to assess its effect on the engine in terms of fuel economy, deposit build-up, durability and lubrication.

"Our engineers and technicians have invested a significant amount of time studying and researching the design of this premium fuel in conjunction with the development of the Cosworth engine," Petrobras' Frederico Kremer revealed, "The result of this project has consolidated our knowledge of the formulation of our commercial fuel, as well as some special fuels and other products used in our motorsport programmes."