Microsoft has been an ever present partner in Formula 1 (F1) for quite some time now, but from 2026 the company is switching partners.
Having been initially with Lotus back in 2012, and more recently the latest iteration of that team, Alpine, the 2026 season sees Microsoft beginning a new, multi-year relationship with Mercedes-AMG.
Microsoft Azure and its AI capabilities will expand the Team’s existing high-performance computing and data capabilities, both at the factory and trackside, with scalable cloud and AI resources supporting simulation workloads, performance analysis, race strategy modelling and cross-team analytics. The flexibility and agility of this platform will help ensure engineers and strategists have real-time insights available at the moments that matter most.
Mercedes-AMG F1
It looks like an extension of tools Mercedes has already been using, and is one of the industries that AI makes a ton of sense. F1 teams have an insane quantity of data to crunch through, and deploying AI to make it easier just sounds like a no-brainer.
Cloud tech through Azure and AI isn't where it ends, though. Mercedes will also be further leveraging Microsoft's GitHub to "modernize and accelerate development workflows."
Microsoft has been getting some flack of late for its obsession with AI, but personally, my own critique has been that there's never much to show why people should care.
Admittedly, none of us will be running out to start an F1 team any time soon, but this is one of those times that AI truly makes a difference. It's capable of crunching far more data, faster, than any human being ever could.
F1 lives and dies by data. Sure, the drivers are the ones piloting the cars, but without the mountains of sensor information crunched in real-time, it's like driving with a parachute pulling them back.
Maybe we'll be seeing the Microsoft logo back on the podium this year. Here's hoping.
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