Data is revolutionizing Formula 1, the world's most technologically advanced racing sport. No longer just about hunches and intuition, engineers rely on copious amounts of data to optimize performance. Oracle Red Bull Racing and AT&T have been working together to process vast amounts of information from every angle.
In fact, a single F1 car now has over 750 sensors sending back reams of data each race, generating around 1.5 terabytes per car per day. This is more than triple the amount from just a few years ago. In order to make better decisions during races and fine-tune their setups, teams are using banks of screens in the garage connected with colleagues at the factory via secure paths.
Speed and reliability are crucial for success in F1. "The speed of data... security is absolutely critical," said Zee Hussain, head of global enterprise solutions at AT&T. Latency between Australia and the UK was around 0.3 seconds during the Las Vegas Grand Prix - a significant improvement on previous years.
Data transmission technology has also improved dramatically. Red Bull Racing's Morgan Maia said that the amount of data they are able to transmit is now "well over terabytes" each day, with "much better quality" images and video than five or ten years ago. They use these high-resolution data sets to optimize their cars' aerodynamic grip, a result of advanced ground effect systems.
Beyond racing operations, Red Bull Racing's wind tunnel research also heavily relies on digital methods. This would have been impossible even a few years ago, but now they are able to send reams of images and video from the Bedford facility in real-time to their factory - thanks to advancements in edge computing technology.
With more teams competing than ever, it is likely that data will become increasingly important for success in F1. "How do you get as much data transported as quickly as possible... So can you bring the compute resources even closer?" asked Hussain. This could potentially involve technologies like augmented reality and virtual reality to enhance speed and accuracy.
The shift towards more efficient data-driven decision making is transforming a traditionally performance-focused sport into a digitally driven endeavor, with huge implications for success in F1.
In fact, a single F1 car now has over 750 sensors sending back reams of data each race, generating around 1.5 terabytes per car per day. This is more than triple the amount from just a few years ago. In order to make better decisions during races and fine-tune their setups, teams are using banks of screens in the garage connected with colleagues at the factory via secure paths.
Speed and reliability are crucial for success in F1. "The speed of data... security is absolutely critical," said Zee Hussain, head of global enterprise solutions at AT&T. Latency between Australia and the UK was around 0.3 seconds during the Las Vegas Grand Prix - a significant improvement on previous years.
Data transmission technology has also improved dramatically. Red Bull Racing's Morgan Maia said that the amount of data they are able to transmit is now "well over terabytes" each day, with "much better quality" images and video than five or ten years ago. They use these high-resolution data sets to optimize their cars' aerodynamic grip, a result of advanced ground effect systems.
Beyond racing operations, Red Bull Racing's wind tunnel research also heavily relies on digital methods. This would have been impossible even a few years ago, but now they are able to send reams of images and video from the Bedford facility in real-time to their factory - thanks to advancements in edge computing technology.
With more teams competing than ever, it is likely that data will become increasingly important for success in F1. "How do you get as much data transported as quickly as possible... So can you bring the compute resources even closer?" asked Hussain. This could potentially involve technologies like augmented reality and virtual reality to enhance speed and accuracy.
The shift towards more efficient data-driven decision making is transforming a traditionally performance-focused sport into a digitally driven endeavor, with huge implications for success in F1.