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In modern motorsports, IT technology builds an invisible engine that competes for milliseconds on the track. It is the key force that determines victory or defeat. This kind of support goes beyond the traditional tire change and refueling in the pit area. What is built is a real-time, intelligent data processing and decision-making network that processes billions of sensor data per second, instantly simulates key pit stop strategies, and provides a fast-response IT support system like an efficient maintenance team to ensure that the team's head speed exceeds the racing limit.

Why is tire changing in the F1 pit stop the ultimate expression of speed culture?

The tire changing operation carried out in the maintenance station is the ultimate performance that materializes the concept of "speed". A maintenance team that meets the standards must have at least 17 mechanics, and their division of labor is extremely precise and clear: three people are responsible for each wheel (one of them removes and installs the nuts, one removes the old tires, and one installs the new tires), two people operate the front and rear jacks, two people are responsible for refueling, and there is a chief mechanic for command. The entire process requires flawless cooperation, and any slight mistake may result in loss of time, or even cause a fire due to fuel dripping into the high-temperature exhaust pipe. After extreme training, a successful pit stop only takes 6 to 8 seconds, and the fastest record in history even reaches around 5 seconds. These few seconds are not only a sudden burst of physical strength, but also the result of precise process design and countless muscle memory training. It lays the foundation for the cultural tone of the entire F1 movement's pursuit of ultimate speed.

This admiration for collaborative efficiency even transcends the field of racing and is used for reference by other high-risk industries. For example, the "track maintenance team resuscitation" style that appears in the medical emergency area is 100% based on the refined division of labor and processes of the F1 pit station. The purpose is to reduce the interruption time during cardiac resuscitation and improve rescue efficiency. This proves that the standardized modular and efficient collaboration concept embodied in the pit station has universal reference significance.

How IT Systems built a mobile data center for the team during race weekends

The competition weekend is a race against time for the IT team in terms of agile deployment challenges. Take the Mercedes team for example. Its IT team has to manage two IT racks that move around the world with events. Those two IT racks are actually a mobile data center, covering a complete set of infrastructure such as computing, network, and storage. After trucks transferred the equipment during the event, the IT team had to set it up overnight to ensure it could be put into use on Wednesday. They have a task, which is to quickly build a stable and high-performance "multi-space" network environment in an unfamiliar track environment including garages, pit walls, engineering offices, and RVs, so that all data can flow smoothly without hindrance. The core goal of this work is that no matter where you are in the world, you can replicate a digital combat environment that is no different from the headquarters in a very short time, so as to prepare for the data flood on game days.

What data is generated by the car during the race and how it is processed in real time

Once the car hits the track, it transforms into a high-speed moving data factory. During a race weekend, a racing car can generate more than 7 billion data points. The data comes from hundreds of sensors throughout the car body, providing real-time feedback of a large amount of information such as speed, rotation speed, tire pressure, temperature, G value, etc. This data is transmitted back to the garage and factory in real time through the telemetry system. The core problem of the IT system lies in processing speed and decision support. Data processing, completion, integration and visualization all have to be done within the time the car completes a lap. The reason is that the strategy team may only have a 5-second window to decide whether to call the driver to pit. If it is missed, it means that the strategic opportunity is gone. Therefore, the system must integrate GPS, timing, weather and opponent data and present it to the strategists in the most intuitive form to provide support for them to make decisions that affect the direction of the game in a very short time.

How artificial intelligence and high-performance computing assist racing design and strategy optimization

Behind the scenes, artificial intelligence and high-performance computing are deeply reshaping the development and strategy of racing cars. Each team uses computational fluid dynamics and digital twin technology to simulate and optimize racing car designs infinitely in the virtual world, often with the goal of seeking millisecond-level aerodynamic improvements. For example, the Aston Martin Aramco F1 team has fully adopted high-performance data infrastructure, using AI-driven workflows to accelerate the "design-build" cycle, and run complex simulations to improve aerodynamics and race strategies. Systems such as the following can process petabytes of massive data generated by wind tunnels and CFD simulations. These provide engineers with data-inspired decisions. Even though generative AI still has certain limitations in dealing with deterministic issues in competitions, it is playing an increasingly significant role in assisting code development and report generation, thereby saving engineers time.

How drivers interact with IT support systems in real time during races

The driver is not alone on the track, but has close real-time interaction with the backend IT support system. During a break in practice or qualifying, when the car returns to the pit lane and stops, two screens will be lowered in front of the driver. With the help of remote control software, performance engineers use these two screens to present key telemetry data, competitor analysis, video playback, weather information and subsequent running plans to the rider. In the pit time of only tens of seconds to a minute, clear and efficient information transmission is extremely critical, which can help the driver make immediate adjustments in the next stage. In addition, radio communication between the driver and the pit station is a lifeline. Whether it is talking about racing problems (like the engine program failure that Hamilton encountered) or receiving pit stop instructions, they all rely on a stable and low-latency communication network. An incorrect button operation, such as the "magic button" that accidentally changes the brake balance, can also cause a mistake, which in turn shows the importance of system interaction design for rider friendliness.

What are the biggest challenges and future development trends of rapid IT support?

Currently, the core challenge facing rapid IT support is the balance between certainty and agility. The strategic decision-making in the game is a deterministic problem of finding the optimal solution among many variables. However, some current AI tools may provide inconsistent answers to such questions. Future development trends will focus on several aspects. One is to further reduce the delay in data processing. For example, a new fleet content delivery system aims to reduce the video playback and analysis response time in the pit from 9 seconds to less than 5 seconds. The second is to integrate edge computing and cloud computing at a deeper level, so that data can be processed close to where it is generated (track), and then key insights can be synchronized to the cloud and the factory to achieve a decision-making closed loop to accelerate the speed again. The third is to use technological automation to replace more repetitive manual tasks, freeing up engineers' time so that they can invest in more creative performance optimization work. It can be foreseen that the future competition will be a comprehensive competition in terms of transmission and processing speed of every "data byte" inside and outside the track.

Come to think of it, as far as you are concerned, as the performance of the car continues to approach the physical limit, in the future F1 competition, the key to determining victory or defeat will be more inclined to rely on the performance of the driver on the spot, or the advantage of the data presented by the background IT system in decision-making? I look forward to your opinions in the comment area.