Lessons from Racing Teams' Technology Partnerships

2024 Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix Weekend

As we head into Formula 1 Pirelli United States Grand Prix this weekend, it is also a time to reflect on the previous race in Singapore. In September, at the gracious invitation of DXC, I had the opportunity to attend the Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix Weekend and witness the qualifying race live at DXC’s partner, Scuderia Ferrari’s paddock lounge. We were also given a tour of the paddock and Scuderia Ferrari’s garage. Hearing the drivers share their thoughts about the weekend and watching the engineers work on the race car was a memorable experience; it showcased the well-oiled—no pun intended—teamwork involved in achieving targeted success each race weekend. Formula 1 is a technological and human marvel, both within the car and in the organizational structure supporting it. We can learn and adapt best practices from motorsport in utilizing technology for optimal performance and in managing high-functioning, highly diverse teams.

Scuderia Ferrari Technology Partnership with DXC for Human-Machine Interface and Analytics

DXC held a conversation with Scuderia Ferrari’s Jock Clear to discuss the role of technology partnerships in motorsport, innovation pursuit, and how the goal of driving performance is achieved through technology. Jock Clear is Scuderia Ferrari’s senior performance engineer and driver coach for Charles Leclerc, with over 30 years and more than 500 Grand Prix races worth of experience.

DXC is one of the technology partners at Scuderia Ferrari and provides digital engineering capabilities in the Human Machine Interface (HMI) space for Scuderia Ferrari. Companies like DXC helped Scuderia Ferrari stay competitive by providing the necessary advanced technology from their respective areas of expertise. This allows Scuderia Ferrari to focus on their own expertise of engine technology, aerodynamics, or weight saving of their Formula 1 race cars. Technology partners share their expertise with Ferrari to develop potential specialized technology solutions.

Behavioral science plays a role in how technology is adopted as well. Through working with a variety of drivers, Jock shared that the consistent factor is every driver’s own preferred setup. Each car has a unique cockpit, including the position of the driver’s seat, the sensitivity of each pedal, and, most importantly, the steering wheel. The steering wheel does more than just turn left and right; each has over 25 buttons and switches to change the car strategy and technical adjustments. It must be ergonomically comfortable for the driver to navigate each F1 circuit and implement the advice of the pit wall. The pit wall analyzes the constant stream of data coming from the car and provides recommended adjustments to either the car setup or driver behavior, with the goal of maximizing performance and elevating what the driver derives from the car.

With tighter restrictions in the sport now, innovation is key to better utilizing the data available to the team. This goes beyond understanding which specific areas require continuous improvement based on the conditions of each subsequent race, such as changes to aerodynamic tuning or engine mode. Instead of reinventing the wheel themselves, Scuderia Ferrari works with external specialists, such as technology partners, to advise and apply solutions to what the team is doing, which can improve performance much faster. A key requirement is to have a technology infrastructure that can capture, house, and secure invaluable data streams, as well as meaningfully process and compute insights for transformational results for the team and the car. The generated insights supplement and sharpen the expertise of every craft master at Scuderia Ferrari, from design to race strategy.

To deliver in a fast-paced, high-pressure, globally delivered sport, the technology infrastructure needs to be reliable and quick in providing the critical paths for the team to focus on, leading to informed decision making every race weekend. Information presented to the drivers must be easily understood by them, as they are not engineers, and should provide confidence in the race strategy developed by the team. Inversely, the drivers will provide unique and specific feedback to the team. Combined, the team must apply the latest technology solutions and ensure the right infrastructure is in place to identify opportunities for the driver and car to extract the best performance together. Additionally, the engineers include those back at Scuderia Ferrari’s headquarters in Maranello. Central to the jobs of engineers at the track and in Maranello is the need to understand complex data with absolute clarity and speed, especially during race weekends when conditions change quickly, and decisions must be made in seconds. Hence, essential infrastructure performance provides the tools needed to stay competitive.

To ensure the right infrastructure is in place, technology partners are relied upon to develop, test, and provide options for the team to pursue new technology solutions in their areas of expertise. Partners innovate away from the track, while the Scuderia Ferrari team maintains what they are implementing at the track until they are comfortable with the new technology solutions and infrastructure provided by their technology partners. The litmus test is that the infrastructure must operate without fail at a race to be considered reliably capable.

To prepare for the current and next racing season, data analysis helped identify performance gaps to improve year on year. Scuderia Ferrari is looking at a set of technologies that can best collate, process, and extrapolate insights to aid in developing next year’s car. The approach is to test theories through advanced technology first before physically building, ensuring that time and resources are invested only when expected results are produced. Ultimately, an open approach with technology partners and the wider technology industry is paramount in developing the new car with technology that drives performance.

Shell V-Power Racing Team Managed Service for the Modern Workplace

Another partnership between DXC and a motor sport team is with Shell V-Power Racing Team. Shell V-Power Racing Team is one of Australia most successful and longest operating motorsports teams. Founded by Dick Johnson and co-owned by Ryan Story, the team competes in the Australian Touring Car or Repco Supercars Championship.

A key business challenge arose during the global pandemic, which encouraged the adoption of new technology and innovation. Due to the change in ownership from the Penske Group, the Shell V-Power Racing Team had to transition from employing over 60,000 people worldwide to a much smaller workforce of around 50. As part of the separation agreement, the Penske ecosystem had to be securely migrated to the new Shell V-Power Racing Team ecosystem. The Shell V-Power Racing Team needed to establish a new secure IT environment, alongside upgrades to endpoints at the race shop, engineering workshop, and the mobile trackside environment. While previously working on multiple systems, adherence to the pandemic’s restrictions created an essential need for a consolidated, flexible, and robust system that ensures remote access in real time.

A modern workplace solution was needed to enhance employee productivity and enable seamless communication and collaboration across all locations and platforms, while also ensuring high security and data integrity.

The Shell V-Power Racing Team, consisting of just 50 diverse members who often take on multiple roles, required DXC to adapt its approach to accommodate varying levels of technology skills among team members, ensuring support for the team's unique business needs during the transition. To provide an environment for the Shell V-Power Racing Team to have full control of its security and data management with a streamlined process, a Microsoft 365 tenant was established for the 50 active users. Additionally, data from archived users were brought over to ensure retention of intellectual property and achieve a complete disengagement from Penske. A review of compliance and information protection taxonomy was executed while the Shell V-Power Racing Team devices and services were onboarded to the new tenant.

To cater to users with different devices and a high number of shared services, DXC migrated all applications into a managed apps environment without interrupting the Shell V-Power Racing Team’s racing operations. DXC’s modern workplace solution removed legacy licensing commitments and enabled the Shell V-Power Racing Team to self-manage once the project is complete. With control of their own tenancy, the Shell V-Power Racing Team can make changes on the fly with the support of DXC when required. Through the new architecture supported by DXC, the Shell V-Power Racing Team now has a better technology development process and can actively monitor its data analysis from the vast volume of data generated to ensure an optimal winning racing strategy.

Leveraging Motorsport Innovations for the Insurance Industry

The 2024 Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix Weekend provided insights into the intersection of technology, teamwork, and performance optimization, which can be adapted to the insurance industry. The collaboration between DXC and Scuderia Ferrari highlighted how technology partnerships enhance performance through specialized technology solutions and data analytics, while allowing the Scuderia Ferrari focus on what they do best – such as engine technology and race strategy development. The emphasis on a reliable technology infrastructure that captures and processes data efficiently mirrors the insurance sector's need for robust enterprise systems to manage policies, analyze data, and develop risk management strategies. Additionally, the Shell V-Power Racing Team's transition to a modern workplace solution during the pandemic underscores the importance of adaptability and security in a changing environment. By adopting best practices from motorsport, insurance companies can enhance their operational efficiency, enable further innovation, and deliver great customer experience.