“Simulation and correlation will be key for 2022, because as soon as we put the car on the track, we’ll go and measure its behavior compared to what we’re seeing with the instruments that we have in Maranello.” – said at the beginning of the year Mattia Binotto, by now the former team principal of the Italian team.
The Italian manager then continued. “We tried to have better tools, to improve simulations and correlations. The new simulator is just the tip of the iceberg. In fact, a lot has been done in terms of aerodynamic simulations, in the wind tunnel and in terms of calculations for design and in tire management”.
One sector is missing and was never mentioned by the Italian-Swiss engineer in his comments, namely that of strategies. A department that still lacked a lot, precisely and above all in terms of simulations while externally they concentrated and still focus always and only on people. “Being competitive is one thing, becoming world champions is another.”- Mattia Binotto rightly said to the BBC last June, aware of the fact that parts of the team weren’t ready to win the World championship yet. It is no coincidence that in the summer of 2021 an important partnership was signed with Amazon Web Services (AWS) “to strengthen and speed up our data analysis capacity.” – the then team principal of Ferrari explained.
A sector where the Italian team will have to improve in terms of efficiency and effectiveness but it won’t be the only one, hearing the words of Alpine’s TP, Szafnauer. “There are areas where we fall short of other teams. One of these is the simulation part of the race strategies”.
Red Bull at the top with strategies also thanks to Oracle
Not just Ferrari and Alpine. Many F1 teams will have to invest significant resources to simulate race situations and get the best strategies at that precise moment of the weekend, whether it’s in qualifying, before or during the race. From this point of view, Red Bull is one of the best teams, if not the best. There has been a lot of talk about the human factor, with Hannah Schmitz (Strategy Chief of Red Bull) at the center of attention several times in this 2022 season. However, the human factor alone is no longer enough in an increasingly technological and fast Formula 1, both in terms of lap times clearly but also regarding the choices of the developments, for example, or those relating precisely to the strategies that are adopted in the race.
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For this reason, in an exclusive virtual meeting dedicated to the European press, we were able to have a chat with Zoe Chilton, Head of Partnerships of Oracle Red Bull Racing; with the one who manages the technological part of innovative partnerships that can help make the car faster or improve the team’s business on and off the track in any way. The partnership with Oracle stems precisely from the fact that technology and efficiency are increasingly needed in F1. “Having more efficient simulation tools, thanks to the support of Oracle and its data collection system (Cloud), has allowed us to reduce operations costs and make changes to planned strategies, in case of VSC, SC or other events during the race, faster but very reliable.” Oracle Red Bull Racing’s Head of Partnerships said. Also in terms of decision making, both before and especially during a race.
The American giant joined Red Bull in early 2021, for what was initially evaluated as an innovative partnership “in terms of solutions to our challenges from an engineering, business and other point of view”. It could be something directly related to the car, such as equipment and materials, or elements of software and hardware. “We have observed a lot in this technological sector, studying the best solutions for us. The particular thing about Oracle is that they didn’t come to us to sell us a product, but they came to listen to our problems and requests, to study together how to solve them thanks to their knowledge. This is a long-term project.” After a very positive first year, the partnership has intensified, with Oracle becoming a Title Partnership as there is a common vision on important new opportunities, also outside of Formula 1.
Thanks to Oracle, simulations increased by at least 20 times, with an improvement in terms of speed of 1000%
How much does Red Bull rely on simulation systems or human instinct? “It’s a question that many people ask me. First of all, there are two macro-areas where strategies are discussed: the pitwall on the track and the remote garage in Milton Keynes. The simulations show us all the possible options. Among the most competitive, it is then the human part who chooses the best strategy.” Zoe said. Human factor that comes into play more when external elements, such as the weather, become very important in the choice.
“The strategies are precise and rigid with regard to the weather, but those sitting at the pitwall can better perceive the slightest differences, such as the humidity of the moment and other factors. The data should give you 99% certainty on the best path to follow, but then, especially when there are more possible choices, it is up to the human to identify the best choice”. We are fortunate to have within the team strategists and a very experienced race group who have the elements and skills to make the right choices.” she concluded.
It is no coincidence that Zoe Chilton wanted to talk about experience as the strategic group of the Milton Keynes team has been together for over 10 years, compared to the much younger one, at least in terms of experience, of Ferrari.
Thanks to cloud computing, Red Bull Racing runs billions of race simulations every weekend. “We collect data during the weekend which, once inserted into complex algorithms, formulate what the best strategy will be. The result is then communicated to the team on the track. We are able to simulate strategies on the best compound to start a race with, which lap to make a given pitstop and all these strategic choices in view of the race”. However, there is much more when you consider that once the race begins, the simulations don’t stop. With live data coming directly from the track, Oracle’s algorithms have the ability to constantly update themselves with every overtaking, at the end of a lap, in short, with how the race is going, like a true real-time simulation. This made it possible, for example, to switch very quickly to Plans not considered as primary, if at the start of a race the tire wear was better than expected. All practically in real time, without the human having to think too much about it as it was the computer system that warned him of the possible change of strategy. Thanks to Oracle’s Cloud system, Red Bull Racing has been able to increase the number of simulations by “at least 20 times”, with an improvement in terms of speed of 1000%, an engineer who works in the Remote Garage let us know. The effectiveness and efficiency of an F1 wall also depends on this. Especially in those situations where the decision has to be made by the staff at the wall in just a few seconds. Because behind the human factor, with Iniaki Rueda on duty (to name a random strategist), there is a very complex, abstract and still quite unknown world that is part of an increasingly technological and difficult Formula 1 especially for the outside fans.
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