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Dell revs up involvement with F1 again and Microsoft inks a deal with Toyota

Business | Sponsorship | Sport | Technology

Although Dell’s high profile partnership with Intel and BMW F1 came to a sudden end a year and a half ago, the company has now ventured back into the Formula 1 paddock as a technology partner of Team Lotus. The company has recently been running a PR push in the UK IT press about their initial involvement with the team based around case studies of how Dell technology keeps the team on track. The full extent of the deal is not apparent yet, having just been announced today, but I’m sure the technology giant that has been marginalised slightly in recent years by changes in the market will be keen to make the most of the investment.

It might not be widely known but Dell indirectly already plays a significant part in the IT operations of a number of F1 teams. In particular, it is a Dell cluster that CSC have commissioned for Marussia Virgin Racing and Wirth Research to enable them to maximise their use of CFD analysis. As the only team to rely fully on a digital development cycle, without the use of a wind tunnel, the new cluster enables them to take the CFD analysis to the limit as defined in the F1 Resource Restriction Agreement. That is just one example and I’m sure we will be seeing others as a result of this new partnership.

On a different note Microsoft and Toyota announced a joint investment and strategic alliance yesterday to further next generation telematics in Toyota hybrid cars. This isn’t related to motorsport as Toyota have cut back significantly of activity in this areas since pulling out F1 although they now supply engines to Le Mans entrants Rebellion Racing as well as participation in a number of race series in the US. But it starts to touch on an area which the big tech companies are keen to play in, namely getting vehicles fully integrated into the internet. BMW and others already talk about the Connected Car, but so far everyone is just scratching the surface. Significantly motorsport is able to act as a powerful proving ground for this type of technology push and we believe we will see a growing raft of partnerships to exploit the opportunity. Whether it is to help develop leading edge telematics, telemetry, info-tainment or any other buzzword or just taking the spectacle of motorsport to the audience, motorsport is converging with technology.

Chris Ritchie

 

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