How Data Analytics Emerged as a Competitive Advantage for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team

Formula One™ is one of the most competitive and technology-intensive sports in the world. Data and analytics have become increasingly crucial for F1 teams because of how the sport has evolved over the years. Cars are supplying huge amounts of data through hundreds of channels, and it’s up to the teams to make sense of the volume, variety, and velocity of their data for the ultimate competitive advantage.

The Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team has been able to implement an advanced digital foundation with data analytics at its core. The team uses sophisticated data collection methods and the most advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques coupled with meticulous strategy, a holistic and unique approach to teamwork, and data-driven culture for a sustained competitive advantage.

In 2010, after a 55-year hiatus, the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team made its return to motorsport racing and to Formula One as a formal constructor—that is, designing, building and racing its cars. During the ensuing 10 years, as Formula One racing cars continued to advance in sophistication and complexity, the amount of data available to teams significantly increased. For Mercedes F1, translating this data into victories was a real challenge. Its team- and data-focused approach has been continuously developing since 2010.

To select a data and analytics technology partner, the team conducted a thorough review of the data analytics marketplace, comparing each vendor’s capabilities and what they were able to achieve. In 2017 the Team joined forces with TIBCO, who’s deep technical expertise in connecting disparate systems, unifying data, predicting outcomes with advanced analytics, and providing clear results through intuitive visualizations meshed well with the team’s automotive engineering and racing best practices. With TIBCO, the team’s analytics capabilities and ethos of shared success have been key to many in the recent years of excellent racing results.

Now, with data and analytics at its core, the organization uses a holistic approach combining design, concept, and refinement. Clear intentions and objectives — and harnessing all available resources for rapid changes, iterations, agility, and adaptation are required. The team now often solves problems never even attempted before and where, at the outset, a solution isn’t even remotely identified. This culture of experimentation has led to operational excellence. And fearlessness.

Formula One is arguably the most complicated, high stakes sport in existence today. But winning year in and year out doesn’t depend on mystical methods. Over the last decade, the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team has used data-driven analytic insights and decision-making to optimize execution at every opportunity. By building sound data practices and implementing the right technologies that lay the foundation for operational excellence, the team has become the number one motorsport team, the team to beat.

To learn more about how data analytics emerged as a competitive advantage for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team, read the full case study. And to learn about how Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team uses TIBCO to achieve a competitive advantage, click here.