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The 'data-driven battlefield' powering change in Formula One
The 'data-driven battlefield' powering change in Formula One

The National

time4 days ago

  • Business
  • The National

The 'data-driven battlefield' powering change in Formula One

In a sport like Formula One, milliseconds make all the difference. Just to underline that, one of the qualifying sessions in the run up to the last Austrian Grand Prix saw less than 0.8 seconds separate the lap times of the fastest 20 cars. It was a record at the time but you can expect that digit to drop significantly in the coming years. This upsurge in competitiveness comes as a direct result of the correct analysis of the choicest chunks gleaned from a massive upsurge in data collection. AI plays its part. In just a few years, this aspect of the sport has become as crucial to F1 's key players as the drivers themselves. Amazon Web Services (AWS) sits centre stage here, having already played a pivotal role in transforming the racing calendar and acting as the sport's digital backbone. The data it collects and shares has impacted everything from car design and race strategy to fan engagement. These days, race cars are fitted with more than 300 sensors, generating around 1.1 million data points per second. Similarly, there are sensors all around the track at strategic points providing more detail (if any were needed). This colossal amount of information is streamed to AWS, where it is processed and analysed in real-time. Thereafter, each team receives all the data about their own two vehicles, but none concerning their rivals. This allows principals to make split-second decisions on everything from strategy and pit stops to energy deployment and tyre selection, all while the race is happening. The whole process is called predictive modelling and, using historical data and current telemetry, AWS's AI machine learning models are able to predict various outcomes, even the best time for a potential overtaking manoeuvre. 'The partnership with AWS enables us to use machine learning and cloud technologies to improve step-by-step in every department," said Ferrari team principal Frederic Vavaseur. "This can be highly beneficial with everything from product improvements to increasing fan engagement.' Crucially, one of the most compelling innovations is the ability of the system to generate graphics that simulate what would have happened if a team had made a different strategic decision – a different tyre compound choice, say – or even assessing the impact of a driver error. Longer term, the information collated can be used to improve car design, with its ability to run thousands of simulations much more quickly than traditional on-track testing would allow – and also at a fraction of the cost. AWS also offers interactive fan experiences like the Real-Time Race Track online tool, which allows fans to design their own F1 circuits, which are then analysed by company's AI systems to produce projected lap times, top speeds, and even viable race stategies. Spectators can also access F1 Insights, a series of real-time on-screen graphics that appear during broadcasts and provide those watching with information about driver performance, car capabilities, and team strategy. Broadcasters are able to get in on the action, too, as the AWS's Track Pulse tool can quickly mine an extensive stream of historical data to pull up facts and statistics to enliven commentary. It's all about what the company calls intelligent storytelling. Ruth Buscombe-Divey is AWS's motorsports ambassador as well as one of F1 TV's most prominent presenters. She says the changes that have happened within the sport recently are game changers for its future. 'If you applied the technologies that were being used to win races five years ago, it's not going to work,' she says, describing what is happening now as a 'data-driven battlefield' where those involved have to keep pushing both technological advances and how exactly to best use the spiralling amount of information being generated. She sees the changes as crucial to the longevity of the sport. Around 750 million people watch F1 over the course of a season, a figure she cites as being a 'great motivation' in keeping up the momentum to make racing more competitive through the greater use of data. Julie Souza leads sports globally for AWS, driving innovation in data not just in F1 but spectator-led content across the board. She says she is often asked if the influx of new information is going to ruin fans' enjoyment of what they're watching. However, she says it's all about spectators watching sport the way they want to watch it and personalising the experience as much as possible. 'It's very easy for people to go, gosh, this is going to make it too heavy for me,' she says with regard to the recent statistical influx. 'However, if we're talking about this data in a way that alienates, we're doing it wrong. 'The whole point is for this information to make people better understand what they're seeing and enhance their appreciation of the exceptional abilities of the people involved.' The next round of the F1 championship takes place on June 1 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain.

The F1 Monaco Grand Prix had new rules to make it exciting, but in reality it proved that less is more
The F1 Monaco Grand Prix had new rules to make it exciting, but in reality it proved that less is more

ABC News

time26-05-2025

  • Entertainment
  • ABC News

The F1 Monaco Grand Prix had new rules to make it exciting, but in reality it proved that less is more

How can F1 make the Monaco Grand Prix an exciting race? It is a simple question, seemingly without an answer. Monte Carlo's narrow streets and slow and tight corners, combined with the long and wide cars of modern F1 make overtaking near impossible. For decades, it has led to races that more resemble processions. A parade of race cars, rather than cars racing. But this year's race went from dull to borderline comical, and it may have taught F1's front office an important lesson — F1 is best when it is organic. The Monaco Grand Prix is the jewel in the crown for F1. It is the race every driver wants to win and every fan wants to attend. But the race itself is arguably the worst of the year and F1 wanted to change that. Every driver was mandated to pit twice on Sunday. The hope was for teams to come up with varied pit strategies and add excitement and unpredictability to the race. What fans got was the exact opposite. The combination of needing to stop twice, and overtaking being impossible around Monaco, led to drivers deliberately driving slow to help their teammates. Teams instructed drivers to go slow, holding up rivals, while their teammates could race clear, complete their stops, and then emerge on track still in front of the gaggle who were slaving behind a deliberately slow car. It was confusing, dull and the exact opposite of what a race is. A mandate that was hoped to produce one of the best races in recent years, actually led to one of F1's worst races. And there is a lesson for organisers in this. In the wild world of F1, simplicity is great and organic excitement is better than manufactured fun. Despite years of boring races, hundreds of thousands still attended and tens of millions still watched at home. F1 fans knew what they were getting into, because they love the product for what it is. At its core F1 is simple; build a fast car, employ a quick driver, and complete the race as soon as possible. That is how F1 has always been, and that is what has made it so popular. The series had an enormous following around the world for decades, and the simplicity of the sport allowed everyone to enjoy it. Netflix got involved and gave F1 a popularity surge that it still enjoys now. But even Netflix knew audiences would enjoy the simplicity of F1. The early seasons focused heavily on the plight of backmarker teams, desperately trying to score just one, crucial and all-important championship point. They were driving, to survive. Simple. It was this simplicity that was sorely lacking in Monaco on Sunday and all it achieved was confusing the audience. The intention from F1 was commendable. There is little doubt F1 was thinking of its fans when it introduced the pit stop mandate. But when excitement and fun are forced, it is never as good as when it comes naturally. Something race winner Lando Norris summarised well on Sunday. "I think Formula 1 should not turn into just a show to entertain people. It's a sport. It's who can race the best, who can qualify the best," he said. "The last thing I want is manufactured racing, and I think we definitely need to stay away from that and do a better job with cars, with tyres. "Then you might start to see more racing, but not by just introducing so many pit stops." F1 has new technical regulations from 2026, meaning next year's cars will be vastly different to 2025. The next generation of cars is hoped to allow for better wheel-to-wheel racing. Will this translate to on-track battles in Monaco? More than likely not. But fans have proven over the decades that they enjoy the product as it is. Fans don't need pit stop mandates or funky rules. Fans want fast cars, great drivers and a compelling story that plays out without interference. And when F1 gets that right, it is a beautiful sport to watch.

Low-carbon sustainable fuels headed for F1 but cost could keep them from Australian bowsers
Low-carbon sustainable fuels headed for F1 but cost could keep them from Australian bowsers

ABC News

time25-05-2025

  • Automotive
  • ABC News

Low-carbon sustainable fuels headed for F1 but cost could keep them from Australian bowsers

When Formula 1 cars nudge speeds of 330 kilometres per hour next year, hundreds of millions of people will witness existing engines and infrastructure working with a fuel once considered futuristic. The fuel burning inside the turbocharged V6 engines won't be gutted from the Earth like traditional fossil fuels; instead, most will be chemically synthesised and involve the recycling of existing carbon dioxide — making it close to carbon neutral. "It would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent," Liam Parker said, chief communications officer at Formula 1. "The technical analysis shows zero drop in performance, so you're racing green, you're providing a solution for the automotive sector and the wider consumer, but you're also giving the public and the fans what they want." Five different companies — many of them sponsors — will be supplying the 100 per cent synthetic and biofuel to the 11 teams on the grid, once again positioning Formula 1 as the breeding ground of the kind of innovation that trickles to road cars and other vehicles. Industry stakeholders believe these low-carbon liquid fuels provide a window of opportunity for Australia, claiming it can help connect the vehicles, ships and planes of today to a net-zero tomorrow, and create a multi-billion-dollar domestic manufacturing industry that would also bolster the nation's fuel security. "We estimate the Australian low-carbon liquid fuel market could be in the order of $36 billion a year by 2050, and a feedstock market of about $15 billion," said Rupert Maloney, executive director of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), a Commonwealth-funded investment firm backing green initiatives. There are two main types of low-carbon liquid fuels: synthetic and biofuel. Both of them source carbon from the atmosphere when they're being developed, effectively recycling it once it is burned by an engine. But whereas biofuel is processed from organic material such as sugarcane, used cooking oil and sawmill residue, the latest synthetic fuel doesn't affect food production. It chemically synthesises the elements that make fuel: hydrogen and carbon. The hydrogen is split from water in a process powered by renewable electricity, while the carbon is either captured from the air using emerging technology, extracted from algae, or gleaned from sustainable sources like waste. The domestic biofuel industry is already growing as local feedstock is exported internationally, but industry stakeholders believe synthetic fuel has greater scale-up potential. At least two companies are looking at manufacturing synthetic fuel in Australia — HIF (Highly Innovative Fuels) and Zero Petroleum — with each expected to start construction on plants in 2026. HIF is aiming to produce 100 million litres of synthetic fuel a year once its manufacturing plant is up and running in 2030 — about 500 times more than its concept plant in Chile. The company, which counts Porsche among its investors, claims it is spending about $2 billion constructing the plant in Tasmania. "What we look for are locations where the feed stocks that we need to make this product are available and are also cost efficient," said Ignacio Hernandez, chief executive of HIF Asia Pacific. "One of the main ingredients that we need is renewable energy, and Australia is well known globally for having a big renewable energy potential." Meanwhile, Zero Petroleum — founded by former F1 engineer Paddy Lowe and chemical engineer Nilay Shah — is examining the feasibility of building a plant in South Australia. The facility would produce up to 10 million litres of synthetic aviation fuel, gasoline and diesel a year. Low-carbon liquid fuels are often described as "drop in" solutions, as they can work with existing petrol tankers, fuel bowsers and internal combustion engines. But there's disagreement on whether the fuel would be used in the nearly 16 million passenger vehicles registered in Australia. How much it costs at the bowser will be a key determinant. A compromise can be found by blending synthetic fuel with the fossil equivalent, lowering emissions and making it more affordable. "The cost of the product will come down, and eventually you're able to transition to 100 per cent synthetic, without impacting materially the cost to the final consumer," Mr Hernandez said. A key factor in the price coming down is the cost of renewable electricity, as wind and solar farms would power the manufacturing process to keep the carbon footprint as low as possible. "We need very low renewable energy costs in order to get that hydrogen price down," Max Temminghoff said, Mineral Resources Lead at the CSIRO Futures. "And then on the other flip side is the carbon dioxide. Pulling that out of the atmosphere currently is technologically not as mature and is a bit expensive, so that's what the CSIRO is working on." Instead, there is a concerted effort to transition cars and the infrastructure powering them to electric — but there's a long way to go to meet the CSIRO's target of 97 per cent by 2050. The latest data from the federal government, dated January 2024, reveals there are 15.7 million passenger vehicles registered in Australia. One per cent — or 159,460 — were electric. Vehicles powered by petrol or diesel made up 95.5 per cent — or 14,958,462 vehicles. "There will be an existing fleet of internal combustion engines, we think, still operating at that point [in 2050], and there needs to be a solution for those cars," HIF's Mr Hernandez said. The demand, policy and money opportunities suggest synthetic fuel will be used to power trucks driving interstate, ships travelling across oceans and planes flying internationally. "By 2050, about 30 billion litres in Australia will likely be hard to electrify and will likely require low carbon liquid fuels or other decarbonisation technologies," the CEFC's Mr Maloney said. The transition from fossil to low-carbon liquid fuels is already underway in some of these sectors. Qantas imported 1.7 million litres of sustainable fuel in early May, hoping to blend it at a ratio of 18 per cent with traditional jet fuel. The airline claims it could power the equivalent of 900 flights from Sydney to Auckland, reducing carbon emissions by 3,400 tonnes. But it had to shop overseas, importing the biofuel from Malaysia. "The creation of a domestic sustainable aviation fuel industry is key to our efforts towards the decarbonisation of aviation," said Vanessa Hudson, the chief executive of Qantas Group. The federal government is hoping to foster a low-carbon liquid fuel manufacturing industry in Australia, announcing $250 million in grants in March. "Australia has the know-how and skills to meet the crucial task of decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors such as aviation, heavy transport and mining that rely on liquid fuels," Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen said. But the industry is asking for the kind of regulations popping up in other parts of the world, including mandates that would require select sectors to blend a percentage of synthetic fuel with their current fossil stock. "Some of the mandates that are getting rolled out across Asia are in the order of 1 per cent blend, so it will not have a large impact on end use pricing," Mr Maloney said. "It provides an investment signal back to the production side of the market to develop these facilities, and that brings down the cost." HIF's facility could produce enough synthetic fuel to meet a quarter of Tasmania's demand, Mr Hernandez said, but instead it'll likely export supply to other countries. "There are other markets in the world that have more advanced regulation to support the uptake of these products," he said. Australia relies on liquid fuels for more than half of its energy demand, according to federal government data, but the number of local refineries has dwindled from seven to two. The nation's science agency believes making low-carbon liquid fuels domestically would help shore up the country's energy security. "Currently we import about 80 per cent of our refined fuels and we get those fuels through pretty extensive supply chains that are exposed to a range of geopolitical risks," the CSIRO's Mr Temminghoff said. "Being able to produce our fuels locally means that we have more control over the variables that go into the price. "We really see this opportunity as fleeting."

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