In Formula One, racing cars drive at over 220 miles per hour and generate more than a billion data points during each weekend race. Every millisecond counts. It’s a technologically demanding sport where constant innovation is essential. With races only a week or two apart, Renault DP World F1 Team must design and manufacture innovations for their cars on a race-by-race basis to push performance on and off the track—often turning them around in just 24 hours due to the insights collected from data.
“Everything we do with Microsoft is all about progress. It’s all about innovation in the future.”
There are thousands of ways to set up a Formula 1 car for a specific race event, each of which includes thousands of configuration points. To accelerate decision making and find the optimal set up, Renault DP World F1 Team switched from running some of their simulations on-premise to Azure Batch where they could distribute the work across virtual machines. Now, a process that used to take hours is done in less than 15 minutes—and for a fraction of the cost using Power BI.
Collaboration
With more than 1,000 team members across the globe working 24/7 to design, manufacture, and innovate the new Renault R.S.20, collaboration is crucial. Microsoft 365 made available on portable and versatile Surface Pro devices enable the teams at Renault’s two sites in Enstone and Viry-Châtillon, along with the constantly moving race team, to coordinate and communicate in real-time and deliver fast results.
Every time Renault DP World F1 Team drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon get behind the wheel, more than 200 sensors collect over 50 billion data points that help the technical staff improve aerodynamics, performance, and handling.
Data is critical.
It helps the drivers and engineers decide how to optimize the car setup for each race and make important split-second decisions during the race. But one of the most vital sources of data isn’t a sensor or computer. It’s the human behind the wheel, whose point of view provides valuable information on how the car is performing and behaving; something that a sensor can’t communicate to the engineers.
In the days leading up to a race, Renault DP World F1 Team has to keep up with an innovation cycle that pushes the limits of both composite and metal manufacturing. Producing and delivering parts at this pace requires an integrated system. With Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Power BI dashboards the team has a holistic view of their production cycle. Operating on large Surface Studio 2 screens allows the team more flexibility in their production cycle.
“We wouldn’t be able to do what we do everyday if it weren’t for the technology.”
