Why Artificial Intelligence could be F1's next big thing

Getting through the mountains of data generated in Formula 1 can be a ‘needle in a haystack’ process for teams searching for performance. There’s technology on the way that could make a huge difference.

Jonathan Noble Feb 19, 2018, 10:04 AM

Upd: Feb 19, 2018, 12:10 PM

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In a sporting series as technologically cutting-edge as Formula 1, data has become king. Making progress up the grid these days doesn't happen if there aren't hard numbers on a screen telling you that something is working. Even for a design genius such as Adrian Newey, if the computer says no: forget it.

From windtunnel runs and CFD evaluation, to driver simulators, track testing or laps over a race weekend, at every step of the way teams are logging what's going on to try to help find the answers that will bring them the maximum performance.

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Author Jonathan Noble

Jonathan Noble is Motorsport.com’s Formula 1 editor. Having graduated from University of Sussex Jonathan worked for sports news agency Collings Sports reporting on F1, F3, touring cars and other sports, with articles appearing in The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, Reuters, Autosport and other publications. In 1999 he moved to Haymarket Publishing to become a senior editor at Autosport Special Projects, and one year later he became Autosport’s grand prix editor. In 2015 he moved to Motorsport Network, becoming the F1 editor for Motorsport.com. He is also a member of the Guild of Motoring Writers, and sits on the FIA Media Council.

Jonathan has won multiple awards for journalism - in 1991 he was the winner of the Guild of Motoring Writers’ Sir William Lyons’ Award for young journalists, in 2010 he was awarded the Outstanding Individual accolade for consumer journalism in the Haymarket wards, in 2011 he won Haymarket’s Scoop of the Year, and in 2018 he was awarded a prestigious Medaglia d’Oro at the Lorenzo Bandini Awards for his contribution to F1 journalism.