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In February, a landmark event brought together car manufacturers, motorsport pioneers, and technical experts to explore the future of hybrid mobility. Hybrid Horizons 2025, a virtual event, powered by Castrol HYSPEC, offered a wealth of exclusive insights into the trends and advancements shaping hybrid technology. Spread across four themed zones—Motorsport, Innovation, Tech and Insight—guests tuned in from around the world to enjoy expert-led roundtables, panel discussions, and debates.
Hybrid Horizons 2025 kicked off in the Motorsport Zone, with a live session from Audi’s F1 Power Unit facility in Neuburg. As anticipation builds for Audi’s first F1 season, Stefan Dreyer, CTO for the Audi F1 Project, spoke about how the company’s glittering successes in Le Mans and Dakar made entering F1, motorsport’s global pinnacle, feel like a natural next step.
Across all Zones, motorsport was consistently characterised as a testbed for hybrid innovation. Rolf Michl, MD of Audi Sport, explained that while a one-to-one part can’t be transferred from an F1 hybrid powertrain into an Audi RS, motorsport advancements definitively improve road vehicle efficiency. The extreme conditions at Audi’s iconic Dakar Rally win, for instance, tested the limits of technologies transferable to everyday hybrid vehicles.
Experts also emphasized the importance of partnerships and co-engineering strategies. In 2022, when Audi first made the decision to move into F1, Audi contacted Castrol, which quickly established a program to develop lubricants for the new powertrain. The right liquids, Dreyer explained, can reduce lap time by a valuable half a second. Donald Smith, Sponsorship Manager at Castrol, expounded on this theme and explained that insights from the Audi R8 engine were used in developing one of the Castrol EDGE variants.
Speaking in the Innovation Zone, Jack Lambert, Research and Innovation Manager, JLR Motorsport, and Jon Harris, Chief Engineer, Engines, Transmissions and Hybrid Power Electronics, agreed that collaboration has been essential to delivering the highest level of efficiency and performance. We learned that switching between electric and combustion engine modes in hybrids leads to lower engine temperatures, increasing the risk of water vapour within the oil and fuel dilution. Collaboration with bp Castrol to deliver the appropriate lubricant has been critical. HYSPEC, Castrol’s benchmark for hybrid engine oils, adds another layer of assurance that Castrol’s fluids can meet these lubrication challenges.
In the Tech Zone, experts spotlighted HYSPEC. James Newton-Savage, a technologist at Castrol, explained that HYSPEC grew out of thousands of hours of engine, vehicle and lab tests, combined with a ten-car field trial that covered 300,000 km and produced over 2 billion data points. The resulting standard addresses the three primary challenges faced by hybrids: contaminants, engine intermittency, and system inefficiencies. Viewers learned that a product labeled with the HYSPEC logo has exceeded minimum requirements set in industry specifications across these factors and Castrol bespoke testing relevant to hybrid vehicle types, by at least 25 percent*.
Consumer behaviors and industry trends were examined in detail in the Insight Zone. For the ‘Says who?’ panel, SMEs responded to five provocative hybrid headlines. Rebecca Oldfield, EVP Digital Innovation and Technology, Infineum, discussed hybrids’ role in achieving cleaner mobility amidst 2024’s booming global demand. Oldfield argued that hybrids represent a practical option for informed consumers eager to purchase a sustainable vehicle but still concerned about costs and charging range. This consumer enthusiasm is a win-win for OEMs, who can reinvest profits back into battery electric vehicle development.
Consumer preferences received closer attention in the ‘Gen Z, Women and Mobility’ roundtable. Among other insights, research conducted by the panel found that cars continue to hold powerful symbolic weight: for the younger generation, as an expression of freedom and individuality, and for older users as a facilitator of routine, safety and family. Hybrids, we heard, package these more traditional aspirations in a lower emission vehicle.
Other highlights at this unique event included an interview with a team member behind Toyota’s legendary Prius, the first mass-produced hybrid vehicle, and the design process behind Zenvo, one of the world’s most advanced hybrid hypercars. All in all, this insight-rich, illuminating occasion offered up a broad range of expert debate, scrutinizing the stock narratives surrounding hybrids and revealing the intricate collaboration that drives this technology’s development.
And if you couldn’t attend, don’t worry: from May onwards and throughout 2025, content—including sessions, expert interviews, and key data points—will be released by Zone on YouTube and across Castrol’s social platforms. Don’t miss out.
Discover more on Castrol's Hybrid Horizons 2025 YouTube
* Compared to minimum requirements set in industry specification and Castrol bespoke testing relevant to hybrid vehicle types, covering contaminants, engine intermittency and system efficiency.
