In a sport where glory can be won or lost by making split-second decisions, and the margin between victory and second place can be measured in tenths of a second, having a competitive advantage can be crucial .
Like many companies and organizations, Formula 1 is exploring different ways to get the best out of AI technology, improving efficiency and performance not only on the track, but also in the factory.
The battle for positions has never been fiercer and Ny Breaking had the opportunity to visit the Visa Cash App RB team at its Faenza base ahead of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix to find out more about how the Embraces the world’s AI future. sport.
‘We are a daring team’
“The principle of what we are trying to do as a company is one thing: make the car faster,” says Laurent Menkies, team boss at VCARB, “that is the only thing this company does.”
With all Formula 1 teams limited in the amount of real-world and virtual/wind tunnel testing they can do, AI-powered analytical systems can play a big role in finding that extra room for improvement.
On the pit wall itself, AI-based software can perform billions of calculations every second around any possible strategy or incident, giving the team the best chance to respond productively to incidents such as the deployment of a safety car or a sudden rain shower.
When asked whether AI could help narrow the gap between some of the bigger teams on the grid today and those in midfield, Menkies is understandably optimistic about its potential.
“We believe this can give us a boost,” he says, “and that’s why we’re in a position as a company to push each other and feel like we can take risks to close that gap… that’s the philosophy of Red Bull.” are a bold company, and we are a bold team.”
“You’re not going to beat the competition in a head-to-head fight unless you take risks,” Menkies notes. “The spread of the field has never been as small as it is now… you no longer have small teams, you no longer have any backmarkers.”
“We are still at the beginning… (AI) is not new,” he adds, “but it is now increasing exponentially, and every day we discover new ways to make good use of it.”
Formula 1 “is a constant race for development,” says VCARB CEO Peter Bayer, noting: “If you found the holy grail of AI, the right people and the right team, you could certainly find a competitive advantage .”
The team isn’t using AI to boost driver recruitment – Menkies notes: “It’s not AI versus the human, it’s to support the human” – but within the development it’s clear the technology can play a big role .
Menkies adds that there is increasing competition for skilled engineers, largely keeping the sport an attractive prospect for talent. He notes: “It’s important that Formula 1 remains a place where they want to be, and we don’t lose them to the big companies. technology companies.”
“It’s not about replacing jobs,” Menkies continues, “it’s about when you look at your day, you remove 60% of the things that you add little value to, and you can focus on tasks where you add value!”
“Looking at the history of Formula 1: it is a human business, and it always will be,” Bayer said, adding that especially when it comes to making strategic choices in a race, the AI can make suggestions give, but that people will still have to do so. make the final decision based on experience and knowledge.
“As management, we must ensure that we have a team that embraces change with an open mind for the new era,” says Bayer.
Outside of racing, Formula 1 has long been a pioneer in the development of automotive technology that has also carried over to road vehicles – with power steering, traction control and kinetic energy recovery systems (also known as KERS) some of the biggest examples.
Some of the biggest teams on the grid, notably Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren, could benefit from the AI-based learnings of their road car divisions, and Bayer is keen to emphasize the importance of potential future regulations to ensure a level playing field.
“If you were to fight the holy grail of AI, with the right people and the right team, you could definitely gain a competitive advantage,” he says.
“The battle we fight every day lasts for hundredths or thousandths of a second. It’s all we do, all day long… and that gives us the drive to develop technologies that could take years for other people.”
“I can’t predict the future,” Bayer adds, “but I am convinced that Formula 1 will lead in AI in use cases that no one else has thought of.”
So looking ahead, it’s clear that AI, at least for VCARB, will play a huge role in the future – and the possibilities are potentially endless.