How Formula 1 is using technology to build a faster, smarter and more sustainable sport

The highly anticipated Singapore Grand Prix took place over the weekend. We sat down with executives from the event’s organising team and its key partner Lenovo to learn more about the tech behind the magic

With 23 races held over nine months in 20 countries across five continents, Formula 1 is one of the biggest and most watched sports globally. And at such a scale, it can only expect the best technological solutions and services to support its operations. That’s where technology company Lenovo comes in.

During the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix last week, the F1 and Lenovo teams were in town to discuss the synergistic multi-year partnership between the two brands that started in 2022.

From executives to track-side engineers, Lenovo is providing F1’s workforce with a full suite of hardware devices, high-performance computing and server solutions to run and manage its global operations smoothly and securely.

Monaco_Broadcast Center_024_Credit_Steve Domenjoz - F1

Photo 1 of 3 Monaco broadcast centre (Photo: Steve Domenjoz/F1)

Photo 2 of 3 The F1 Media and Technology Centre at Biggin Hill (Photo: Jacob Niblett/Shutterstock Studios)

Photo 3 of 3 The track at the British Grand Prix 2023 (Photo: (Photo: Mario Renzi/F1)

It’s not about the technology, but about the outcome

Agility, reliability and innovation are three features that F1 requires of its technology partner’s solutions, which Sumir Bhatia, Asia-Pacific president of Lenovo’s Infrastructure Solutions Group, understands fully. “We want [our innovation and technologies] to be faster than the [F1] cars.”

Some of Lenovo’s products that F1 utilises include high-end workstations that enable the motor racing event organiser to carry out heavy-duty activities such as graphics creation and editing.

With Lenovo storage solutions, F1 is also able to enhance the on-site data collection of its grand prix events, improve data storage and create more engaging content for its viewers. After all, there are millions of data points being generated during each race, which can offer valuable actionable insights on the likes of G-force numbers, steering angles and brake impact.

Photo 1 of 2 The F1 Media and Technology Centre at Biggin Hill (Photo: Jacob Niblett/Shutterstock Studios)

Photo 2 of 2 F1 headquarters at Biggin Hill (Photo: Jacob Niblett/Shutterstock Studios)

Powering a global hybrid organisation

Before remote work became a norm worldwide, F1 had established itself as a hybrid organisation—and it will remain one indefinitely. Aside from its corporate headquarters at Biggin Hill in the UK, it also has a remote technical centre that transforms and broadcasts event footage and content in real-time to the world as well as a “travelling workforce” of more than 200 people, who manage all of the races on the ground. This is why, says F1’s director of strategic technical ventures Pete Samara who participated in a media roundtable over the race weekend, “our devices need to work for us”.

He adds that the highly competitive and demanding environment of motor racing requires “military levels of control”, but also extreme flexibility in being able to bring in new, cutting-edge technology and production developments. “Lenovo is helping us to incorporate innovative technologies into a 100 percent reliable, repeatable and efficient operation whilst still accommodating continuous improvement,” says Samara.

Lenovo’s Ken Wong points out that what matters more than the technology and services that the brand can provide is the experience and result they offer. “[F1 is] not asking for technology, they are asking for [the] outcome,” says the executive vice president and president of Lenovo’s Solutions and Services Group.

Above Lenovo’s technology is helping Formula 1 evolve to be a more agile, innovative and sustainable sport (Video: Lenovo)

Everything begins and ends with sustainability

Before productivity and efficiency are discussed, Samara says “sustainability has to be the root of any conversation we have with a partner”.

In 2019, F1 launched its plan to become net zero by the year 2030. And according to Samara, it is on track to achieving this goal.

With the launch of its Lenovo-equipped remote broadcasting operations, F1 has reduced its carbon footprint by reducing the amount of equipment and staff that it needs to transport to each race. According to Samara, the savings in equipment tonnage being moved across the world annually is at least 30 percent.

F1 also uses Lenovo’s Asset Recovery Services (ARS) to ensure that its technology hardware is securely destroyed and responsibly disposed of at the end of its lifecycles.

In the end, Samara shares that Lenovo’s “platform thinking” approach to enhancing F1’s global operations and workflow has “not only reduced our footprint but also increased our efficiency, made us more sustainable and brought a calmness to [our] workforce”.

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Topics

Lenovo F1 Singapore Racing Event Technology Sustainability

Tatler Asia

Formula 1: Understanding the tech behind the magic

It’s not about the technology, but about the outcome

Powering a global hybrid organisation

Everything begins and ends with sustainability