How Formula 1 teams are turning to artificial intelligence to improve performance on track

WOKING, England – Inside McLaren’s massive tech hub, artificial intelligence isn’t something that’s heard from the rooftops.

However, The 60-year-old motorsport giant is an avid user of behind-the-scenes technology.

At the McLaren Technology Center (MTC) in Woking, England, the company explained how it is using artificial intelligence to improve its chances on the Formula 1 track.

“We are an organization that has been using traditional machine learning technology products for a long time,” said Dan Keyworth, McLaren’s director of business technology, at a press briefing at MTC in October.

By using machine learning, McLaren is able to base its decisions on probability, which in turn helps it train AI models, according to Keyworth.

The racing firm demonstrated numerous examples of technological innovation at MTK. They range from monitoring data in real-time in a secret mission control room to using “digital twins” (3D digital versions of physical objects) of real vehicles that allow teams to model the conditions that actual vehicles must perform.

Keyworth said there are three main areas where McLaren uses AI extensively: improving car performance, day-to-day operations and commercialisation.

He added that generative artificial intelligence tools offer new opportunities for F1 teams, including the ability to run in-depth simulations of certain scenarios that could occur during races.

This can range from the ideal time the car should spend in pit stops to deciding which tires to add to the car when replacing an old set.

“Artificial intelligence allows us to do from a generative point of view, to actually play out more of those realistic scenarios and say, ‘What if?'” Keyworth said.

Some of these scenarios are starting to lead to “pretty accurate” results — to an “almost frightening” degree, heh added.

There have been various F1 teams has been using modern achievements of technology for years — from cloud computing to AI and machine learning.

Aston Martin Aramco, for example, suggests using large data storage centers called “data lakes” and machine learning technology to learn from large volumes of data to predict patterns and improve decision-making.

Claire Lansley, Aston Martin Aramco’s chief information officer, says machine learning algorithms can integrate information about tires, weather and road conditions and use predictive analytics to optimize decisions.

one April blog posthe said the speed at which these things happened was “truly impressive”.

“By implementing this technology, we will be able to free up a lot of engineers so they can focus more on the performance of the car,” he said.

Another F1 team using AI to improve on-track performance and strategy is Red Bull-owned Visa Cash App RB.

Peter Bayer, RB CEO, he said earlier this year The Italian F1 team says it uses artificial intelligence to compete in “hundredths and thousandths of a second”.

Speaking at an event with the firm’s software partner Epicor at its factory in Faenza, Italy, Guillaume Dezoteux, RB’s head of vehicle performance, said AI can help inform teams when it comes to planning because “it shows there’s no need to run. 100 simulations.”

Keyworth noted that none of the innovation happening within McLaren would happen without the help of IT tools and equipment from partners. Cisco and Google.

“Connectivity is probably the lifeblood of the sport,” he said ahead of the Mexico City Grand Prix on October 27. “Without it, nothing starts. No car can go on the track safely.”

A key component behind McLaren’s ability to deliver data to its teams in real-time is called its mobile data centers.

These are miniature server rooms flown to different races around the world to keep the digital components of the operation consistently online.

Chintan Patel, Cisco’s chief technology officer for the UK and Ireland, told CNBC that from MTC, “These mobile data centers are flown to each race venue with the iconic F1 cars and are remotely controlled to provide real-time data storage and processing. is brought online”.

Another area where AI is adding benefits is commercialization, according to McLaren’s Keyworth.

For fans and partners, McLaren is increasingly looking to “enrich the journey and experience and make our fans feel more connected,” he said.

With AI, McLaren can better target fans in emerging markets for Formula 1, such as the US, where the sport is growing in popularity – for example by personalizing information for fans at certain times of the day.

But when it comes to using artificial intelligence on the business side of things, Keyworth said the main area of ​​improvement the company is seeing is “making everyone’s life richer, faster, faster and more efficient.”

“It’s not an employee replacement — it’s an ‘effort’ replacement,” he said. “You want to unlock your team to do what you hired them to do—not to work with the burden of living in their role.”