Motor racing-As Formula One evolves, AI becomes part of the race

FILE PHOTO: Miami Grand Prix

By Streisand Neto

LONDON, May 4 (Reuters) - Artificial Intelligence’s integration into Liberty Media-owned Formula One and its 11 teams has been noticeable on- and off-track in the already highly tech-powered sport.

Eight new AI partnerships were signed in the past six months alone, according to research firm Ampere Analysis.

Among them, ‌nine-time F1 constructors' champion Williams are partnering with AI company Anthropic for its Claude model to support team operations and race strategy.

"It's much more ‌than a sticker on a car or a sticker in a billboard," Williams’ board advisor Peter Kenyon told Reuters. "We see it as one of our differentiating points: how can this partner help us in that ​journey back to the top?”

Whereas F1 cars in yesteryear had a plethora of brands with tobacco companies at the centre, now partnerships often centre on AI and tech companies helping the teams understand datasets, while benefiting from great exposure.

“What Anthropic and our tech team are doing are understanding the opportunities and then integrating those into our business to be able to demonstrate for ourselves and them, and showcase their technology in the pursuit of getting Williams back to the top,” Kenyon added.

AI can be a key tool enabling teams ‌to navigate new regulations and new cost cap rules, now ⁠set at $215 million.

“Efficiency is one of the ubiquitous benefits of AI products, meaning a natural synergy between teams and AI brands,” said Adam Lewis, a senior analyst from Ampere Analysis.

Technology led the top 10 spending categories for F1 teams, reaching an estimated $769 million last ⁠season, up 41% from the previous year, according to intelligence platform SponsorUnited.

AI and machine learning brands account for four of the top 15 new sponsorship investors, a SponsorUnited report also showed, including $65 billion-valued cloud infrastructure company CoreWeave, which has a partnership with Aston Martin's F1 team.

In the 2025 season, the single-seater motorsport reached $2.54 billion in total team sponsorship and was the second-highest ​grossing ​sports property behind America's National Football League which achieved $2.7 billion.

HELPING WITH ADMIN, RULES, TRACK DECISIONS

AI has ​been innovative in sifting through administrative tasks and interpreting key rules ‌within sporting and technical regulations, helping engineers take swifter decisions during on-track situations which were impossible decades ago.