Formula One racing operates at the intersection of cutting-edge technology and split-second decision-making, where milliseconds determine victory and data drives every strategic choice. At Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team, technology has evolved from a supporting role to the backbone of competitive advantage, transforming how teams approach everything from car design to race-day strategy.
Steve Riley, head of IT operations and service management at Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team, oversees the technological infrastructure that powers one of racing’s most successful organizations. From the team’s state-of-the-art facility in Brackley, UK, Riley manages IT systems that must perform flawlessly whether they’re deployed at the Monaco Grand Prix or back at headquarters during development cycles.
“Technology is more crucial in Formula One than ever,” Riley explains. “Any sort of manufacturing function in an F1 team many years ago wouldn’t necessarily be quite as reliant on IT services as they are today.” After nearly a decade with the racing team, Riley has witnessed this digital transformation firsthand, watching as IT evolved from basic support to a central driver of performance improvements both on and off the track.
This technological evolution reflects a broader shift in Formula One, where teams now generate and analyze vast amounts of data to gain competitive advantages measured in thousandths of a second. Here are five key ways Mercedes F1 leverages technology to maintain peak performance across every aspect of their operation.
Formula One’s global calendar presents a unique IT challenge: creating enterprise-grade technology infrastructure that can be rapidly deployed across 24 different countries and climates. Mercedes F1 essentially operates a traveling data center, complete with servers, networking equipment, and communication systems that must function perfectly from Monaco’s narrow streets to Singapore’s humid conditions.
The process begins on Monday before each race weekend, when setup crews begin the complex task of positioning server racks, connecting fiber optic cables, and configuring wireless networks. This mobile infrastructure includes everything from high-speed internet connections for real-time data transmission back to Brackley, to local storage systems that capture every sensor reading from the race cars during practice sessions.
“We take a mobile data center around the globe with us,” Riley notes. “They’ve been setting that up, making sure networks are up and running, making sure our storage, our compute, our Wi-Fi network, are all present and correct.”
The logistical complexity is staggering. Equipment must be packed, shipped, and reassembled with perfect reliability—there’s no room for technical difficulties when millions of dollars in prize money and championship points are at stake. Riley’s team has developed detailed checklists and standardized procedures that ensure consistent setup regardless of location.
This mobile approach enables real-time collaboration between trackside engineers and the broader technical team back in England, creating a seamless flow of information that informs everything from tire strategy to aerodynamic adjustments between practice sessions.
Traditional IT departments often focus primarily on “keeping the lights on”—ensuring systems run smoothly and fixing problems when they arise. However, in Formula One’s hyper-competitive environment, Riley has positioned his team as strategic contributors rather than just technical support staff.
The shift requires exceptional operational efficiency in basic IT functions, freeing up resources for innovation projects that directly impact racing performance. Over the past year, Riley’s team has systematically improved storage platforms and network infrastructure to achieve near-perfect reliability, creating bandwidth for more strategic initiatives.
“I’d rather people be working on the value-add type projects that we support around the organization than just keeping the lights on,” Riley explains. “What works for us is managing the whole IT workflow as efficiently as possible. Then we can spend less time doing break-fix and more time delivering results.”
This approach has earned Riley’s team a voice in early-stage project planning, where IT considerations can be integrated from the beginning rather than retrofitted later. When aerodynamics engineers propose new wind tunnel testing procedures or race strategists want to implement real-time decision-making tools, IT expertise becomes part of the solution design rather than an afterthought.
The strategic positioning proves particularly valuable in Formula One, where technical regulations change frequently and teams must rapidly adapt their tools and processes to maintain competitive advantages.
Modern Formula One cars generate enormous volumes of data—sensors throughout each vehicle capture everything from tire temperatures and brake pressures to aerodynamic efficiency and engine performance metrics. The challenge isn’t collecting this information; it’s identifying the specific data points that reveal opportunities for improvement.
Mercedes F1 faces what many data-driven organizations encounter: information overload. During a single practice session, the team collects thousands of data points per second across multiple cars, creating datasets that require sophisticated analysis to extract actionable insights.
“We have so much data that being able to find the stuff that’s of value to us quickly is a real skill,” Riley observes. The solution involves both human expertise and technological infrastructure designed specifically for rapid analysis.
Engineers specialize in particular aspects of car performance—one might focus exclusively on suspension data while another analyzes power unit efficiency. However, the IT infrastructure must support these specialists with monitoring and alerting systems that automatically flag unusual patterns or performance anomalies.
Riley’s team maintains comprehensive observability platforms that track not just the race cars’ performance data, but also the health and efficiency of the IT systems themselves. This meta-analysis ensures that technology bottlenecks don’t mask important racing insights.
The ultimate goal is transforming raw sensor data into strategic advantages—discovering, for example, that a particular tire compound performs better than expected in specific track conditions, or that minor aerodynamic adjustments could yield significant lap time improvements.
One of Mercedes F1’s most sophisticated technological applications involves digital twins—precise virtual replicas of their race cars that enable extensive testing without the costs and limitations of physical track time. The team’s driver-in-loop simulator represents the sixth iteration of this technology, combining advanced mathematical modeling with immersive driver interfaces.
Digital twins work by creating detailed computer models that replicate how a real race car behaves under various conditions. These models incorporate everything from aerodynamic properties and suspension characteristics to engine performance curves and tire degradation patterns. When calibrated correctly, the virtual car responds to inputs—steering, braking, acceleration—in ways that closely match the physical vehicle’s behavior.
Drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli use the simulator for multiple purposes: learning new race circuits, testing different car setups, and practicing specific scenarios they might encounter during actual races. The system can replicate weather conditions, track surface changes, and even the handling characteristics that result from different fuel loads or tire wear levels.
“The correlation between the simulator and the track is key,” Riley emphasizes. “The mathematical model is as close as we can get to the car, so we can tune a setup change and test new parts in the simulator before using them on the track.”
This virtual testing capability proves particularly valuable given Formula One’s limited physical testing allowances. Teams receive restricted track time for car development, making the simulator an essential tool for exploring setup options and training drivers without consuming precious on-track hours.
Remote connectivity ensures that engineers can monitor and adjust simulator sessions from anywhere in the world, maintaining development continuity even when the team travels between race weekends.
Mercedes F1’s exploration of artificial intelligence reflects the careful balance between competitive advantage and security that defines modern Formula One. While AI technologies offer significant potential for data analysis and decision-making enhancement, the highly confidential nature of racing data requires cautious implementation.
The team faces the same AI adoption questions confronting many organizations: how to harness these powerful tools while maintaining data security and competitive confidentiality. Riley acknowledges that team members already use consumer AI applications like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot in their personal lives, creating both opportunities and challenges for enterprise adoption.
“Which direction do you go in? We’re all using AI, whether it’s ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot, or any of the other models, in our personal lives. So, what do we do as an organization? How do we secure that technology from an enterprise standpoint, and bring it in safely?”
The team’s data scientists are actively developing machine learning capabilities, though Riley remains deliberately vague about specific applications due to competitive sensitivities. However, he envisions AI’s broader organizational impact extending beyond specialized technical roles to support various team functions.
Rather than implementing AI broadly across all operations, Mercedes F1 is taking a measured approach that prioritizes security and strategic value. The team recognizes that in Formula One’s zero-sum competitive environment, any technological advantage must be carefully protected while still enabling innovation.
This cautious optimism reflects the broader challenge facing Formula One teams: balancing the potential benefits of emerging technologies against the risks of exposing proprietary methods or data to competitors.
Mercedes F1’s approach to technology integration demonstrates how modern Formula One success depends on seamless coordination between traditional engineering expertise and cutting-edge IT capabilities. By treating technology infrastructure as a strategic asset rather than just operational support, the team creates opportunities for innovation that directly translate into competitive advantages.
The key lies in building reliable foundations that enable advanced applications—from mobile data centers that maintain global connectivity to digital twins that accelerate development cycles. This technological sophistication allows Mercedes F1 to extract maximum value from every data point and testing opportunity, crucial advantages in a sport where championships are often decided by margins smaller than a single lap time improvement.
As Formula One continues evolving toward even greater technological sophistication, teams like Mercedes that successfully integrate IT strategy with racing performance will likely maintain their competitive edge through superior data utilization and development efficiency.
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