{"id":780880,"date":"2026-07-05T01:34:21","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T01:34:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/780880\/"},"modified":"2026-07-05T01:34:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T01:34:21","slug":"lewis-hamilton-winning-in-barcelona-was-an-ai-strategy-i-spoke-to-aston-martin-f1s-technology-heads-about-how-you-can-spot-ai-being-used-on-race-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/780880\/","title":{"rendered":"Lewis Hamilton winning in Barcelona \u2018was an AI strategy\u2019: I spoke to Aston Martin F1\u2019s technology heads about how you can spot AI being used on race day"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe problem of Formula 1 is that on TV, they show 0.5% of what the real race is,\u201d Fabrizio Pilotti, Chief Innovation Officer for Aston Martin F1, tells me. We hear a lot about AI being used by F1 teams, but very rarely notice it \u2014 engrossed by the on-track drama and the superhuman feats of overtaking a competitor by millimeters, and changing tyres on a car in under two seconds.<\/p>\n

So, if you\u2019re sitting down to watch the British Grand Prix<\/a> this weekend (I will be with my Dad), I spoke to both Pilotti and Commercial Technology Ambassador, Eric Ernst, about the clearest uses of AI you\u2019ll see at an F1 race weekend. Because as he says: \u201cit would be very hard to find a process on a race weekend that AI hasn\u2019t touched.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Here\u2019s what I found out during the team\u2019s inaugural AMR Network Technology Forum.<\/p>\n

Latest Videos FromHow F1 teams use AI<\/p>\n

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\"Charles\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: William West\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

First, let\u2019s give you some context \u2014 AI (and especially agentic AI) is present all over the grid in every single team. And it\u2019s good to understand the two different types of AI and how they interact with each other:<\/p>\n

Machine Learning: This is the kind that can absorb massive amounts of data, find patterns and provide advice.Generative AI: This is the bit that can take that data and create something from it \u2014 be it creative writing, code for apps, or (more important to F1) make strategic decisions.<\/p>\n

And on your average race day, an F1 team can be digesting roughly 50 petabytes of data. Whether it\u2019s on-track information, stats from the 250 sensors on the car, information from your team (and competing team) radios or more, it\u2019s clear having AI to sift through all of that at warp speed gives you a competitive edge.<\/p>\n

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So for example, machine learning could take a look at lap times during a practice. If you hear a driver\u2019s engineer talk about what corners he could be faster in, there\u2019s a high likelihood AI is crunching the data. \u201cIt\u2019s based on statistics and patterns, and the car changes its weight every lap,\u201d Ernst explains.<\/p>\n

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\"Aston\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Aston Martin Aramco)<\/p>\n

\u201cIt becomes one and a half kilos lighter every lap because of the gasoline [being used]. That changes the car balance, the braking points and the tire degradation. So, every lap is almost a new lap for a driver.\u201d<\/p>\n

Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.<\/p>\n

The machine learning algorithm is helping the engineer see and understand what the car is capable of at every stage of its time on track, and provide accurate real-time feedback.<\/p>\n

Generative is not just about creating images<\/p>\n

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\"Aston\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Aston Martin Aramco)<\/p>\n

Machine learning for crunching data is to be expected with all the data points of an F1 car, but generative AI is where things get interesting.<\/p>\n

Teams have data that can span back decades. Pilotti says, \u201cyou can learn at least from the 80s, and maybe even the end of the 70s\u201d when F1 technology stabilized. And it\u2019s this huge influx of past data and real-time info that can help build the strategies of when to pit and gain an advantage.<\/p>\n

What to read next<\/p>\n

Race Highlights | 2026 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix – YouTube
\n\"Race<\/p>\n

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And in Fabrizio\u2019s mind, spotting this play out in real-time comes from looking at strategies that seem out of the ordinary. \u201cLewis [Hamilton] winning in Barcelona was an AI strategy,\u201d Pilotti says. While everyone was going for a minimal two-stop race to change tires, Hamilton seemed to be in and out of that slower pit lane like nobody\u2019s business (three times to be exact).<\/p>\n

\u201cI think an advanced Formula 1 fan would say \u201cokay, that\u2019s unusual\u201d…it was not exactly the normal [human] computation of how you calculate the strategy,\u201d Pilotti adds. And through this new lens, I think back to other races and other decisions that didn\u2019t make sense on paper in the moment, but worked out well in the end.<\/p>\n

You need a team for pole position<\/p>\n

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\"Aston\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Aston Martin Aramco)<\/p>\n

But one thing both Pilotti and Ernst emphasized was that AI is not a replacement for human experience, and there is always a \u201chuman in the loop\u201d on key decisions. Also, as I toured the team\u2019s HQ, it was interesting to see that amongst all the talk of AI, the team\u2019s chief Adrian Newey keeps things rather old school in car design \u2014 a massive drawing board next to his desk.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think everyone\u2019s a bit different. It\u2019s like the way you set up your desk \u2014 how many screens, how do you work?\u201d Ernst explains. \u201cI think there\u2019ll be these standard processes that are just going to be agentic, but we don\u2019t want to replace anyone. Just that people do a part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe human is in the loop heavily. Lots of thoughts happen in the brain, and some of them happen on the drawing board,\u201d Pilotti adds. \u201cWhat happens heavily is from that moment [design and engineering] onward, you have all your simulation tools that heavily rely on sophisticated algorithms including AI.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Mercedes'\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: HECTOR RETAMAL\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

That interplay between human and AI for a competitive advantage is a fascinating one to see play out this year, and hopefully with what I\u2019ve found out, you can start to decipher some of the more interesting bits of strategic drama and start to see what may be helping fuel them. Aston Martin relates this to athletes looking for that \u201cmagic 10%\u201d to be better than the competition, and that\u2019s what its local AI aims to deliver.<\/p>\n

Is Aston Martin competitive at the moment? Well, no. As a Fernando Alonso fan, that\u2019s a bit of a heartbreaker. Part of the tour took me behind-the-scenes in race control \u2014 a huge control room that looks like something out of Cape Canaveral \u2014 where I saw both Alonso and Lance Stroll eliminated in the first part of Sprint Qualifying.<\/p>\n

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\"Aston\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Aston Martin Aramco)<\/p>\n

I got to listen in on the team radio and Stroll had\u2026let\u2019s say some words about the car that I couldn\u2019t possibly publish.<\/p>\n

But with this full embrace of AI and Aston Martin\u2019s upcoming B-spec<\/a> rebuild of the car, it\u2019s the team\u2019s hope to work their way up the grid. It\u2019s a challenging task, but based on the energy in their HQ, they\u2019re well up for it.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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\"Google\n<\/p>\n

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