Being an iconic sports event, the firm is always racing to find the right formula for partnering supportive IT brands
Back in the early days of drag racing in the 1920s, even the then ‘cutting-edge engineering’ was struggling to surpass 100mph on the racetrack.
Today, Formula One drivers regularly reach speeds of over 200mph and withstand fighter jet levels of G forces as they race.
According to Pete Samara, Director of Strategic Technical Ventures, Formula 1: “From the car to the track, to the broadcast and digital products, innovation has to be at the heart of everything we do every single day. Innovation is embedded in everything we do.”
In this case study, the firm’s commitment to leading the way in technology application is examined. As its IT director, Chris Roberts explained: “We’ve got to make a million-and-one moving pieces synchronize and all come together in perfect harmony for race weekend. It’s about ensuring that innovation comes together and we make it 100% operational for fans. That’s a lot of people, and that’s a lot of software to get working together.”
One of the major challenges is managing the sheer volume of data generated by the firm and also the archived data of 22 Grands Prix in its history. Also, fan experience is an influential factor in the organization’s constant efforts to push technological boundaries, and letting followers of the sport access interesting parts of F1 statistics and knowledge bases seamlessly is important.
The firm navigates its data management challenges through an infrastructure that also addresses its sustainability goals — by “recycling tech in a more socially and environmentally responsible way” and making sure their hardware is “going to be given a second life with users who will make the most of it, or is being recycled. And that helps us towards our goals of being more sustainable.” The firm was referring to its partnership with Lenovo for that part of their infrastructure.
Roberts disclosed their partnership “allows the IT teams to pick products from their vast portfolio, to communize against our organization’s needs. Our vision is to create the world-leading spectacle of motorsport for our fans. Technology plays a massive part in that for us because we need to engage our fans on multiple levels, on multiple platforms, across the world.”
