How F1 teams are turning to artificial intelligence to improve on-track performance

WOKING, England — Inside McLaren’s massive technology center, artificial intelligence isn’t something to shout about from the rooftops.

however, The 60-year-old giant of motor sports 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 circuit.

“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 can base its decisions on probabilities, which in turn helps it train its AI models, according to Keywart.

The racing firm demonstrated numerous examples of technological innovation at the MTC. These range from real-time data monitoring in a secret control room to the use of “digital twins” (3D digital versions of physical objects) of real cars that allow teams to simulate the conditions in which real vehicles must operate.

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

He added that generative AI tools offer new opportunities for F1 teams, including the ability to simulate in detail certain possibilities that may occur during races.

This can range from working out the ideal time the car should spend on pit stops to deciding what tires to put on the car when replacing an old set.

“From a generative point of view, AI allows us to actually play out more real-world scenarios and ask, ‘What’s going to happen?'” Keyworth said.

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

There were different F1 teams using the latest advances in technology over the years — from cloud computing to artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Aston Martin Aramco, for example, touts the use of so-called “data lakes”—massive data storage centers—and machine learning technology to learn from vast amounts of data to predict patterns and improve decision-making.

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

In an April blog postshe said the speed with which these developments are happening is “really amazing”.

“By adopting this technology, we will be able to free up some engineers to focus more on the performance of the car,” she said.

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

Peter Bayer, CEO of RB, said earlier this year that the Italian F1 team is using artificial intelligence to compete down to “hundredths and thousandths of a second”.

Speaking at an event with software firm partner Epicor at its plant in Faenza, Italy, Guillaume Desotes, RB’s head of vehicle performance, said AI could help inform teams when it comes to planning, as “it means that you don’t need to run 100 simulations.’

Keyworth noted that none of the innovation happening inside McLaren would have happened without the help of IT tools and equipment from partners such as Cisco and Google.

“Communication 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 be safely on the track.”

A key component of McLaren’s ability to provide real-time data to its teams is what it calls mobile data centers.

These are miniature server rooms that are delivered to various races around the world to keep the digital components online at all times.

“These mobile data centers are delivered with the famous Formula 1 cars to each race venue and are connected to the network remotely to enable real-time data storage and processing,” Chintan Patel, Cisco’s chief technology officer for the UK and Ireland, told CNBC .

According to McLaren’s Keyworth, another area where artificial intelligence is adding benefits is commercialization.

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

With artificial intelligence, McLaren can better target fans in new F1 markets such as the US, where the sport has become popular, for example by personalizing information for fans at certain times of the day.

Meanwhile, when it comes to using AI on the business side of things, Keyworth said the main area of ​​improvement the company sees is to “make everyone’s life richer, smoother, faster and more efficient.”

“It’s not a labor replacement — it’s a ‘labor-intensive’ replacement,” he said. “You want to unlock your team to do what you hired them to do, not work on the overhead associated with their role.”