F1 behind the scenes: the Lenovo infrastructure brings the circus to TV with artificial intelligence, server and hi-tech, terabyte of data and a remote direction for a show “without delays”, everywhere.
Last weekend the 96th Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix took place in Monza, the most popular, rich and – above all – technological at a planetary level. We went to give a peek behind the scenes to find out how the invisible machine is built that brings the largest “circus” in the world in the homes of 820 million fans: a background that has much more to do with cables, servers and artificial intelligence than with petrol and engines. To guide us was Lenovo, a global partner of the championship, which provides Formula 1 the technological infrastructure which – thanks to calculation power, broadcasts at extreme speed and ability to operate in critical conditions – allows you to create this show that attracts millions of enthusiasts. In a paddock in which attention is paid almost exclusively to single -seater and pilots, we have in fact discovered another world, formed by an army of 300 engineers and technicians (operational on the circuit and remotely) that allow us to enjoy a unique show for 24 weekends the year comfortably seating on the sofa of our house.
Each F1 GP is a new and unpredictable technological challenge
Lenovo entered F1 as a supplier of part of the instrumentation in 2022 and has since gradually expanded his role to become one Technological backbone of the whole championship. What does it mean? The company based in Hong Kong provides not only visible devices, which are trivially laptops, tablets and workstations, but also the invisible infrastructure that guarantees the operational continuity of a championship that crosses five continents and is played in every type of environmental condition, from the sultry heat to the pouring rain. Every weekend of the race, between 500 and 600 Terabyte of data, the equivalent of about 50 years of video, in more than 180 territories that receive the official transmission, made possible by an ecosystem of over 180 proprietary applications that run on the hardware of the Asian company are processed.
“Each circuit is a new and unpredictable environment, but the reliability of technology must be absolute”, Claire Sparks, Head of Portfolio and Technical Initiatives, Formula 1, told us. The automotive series par excellence is not only the reference point for engines and power units, but also and above all for computer science. All the devices that the Circus uses must work with absolute precision despite the continuous operations and the necessary customization, with PCs equipped with AI, indestructible workstations and edge computing systems (i.e. systems in which data processing takes place Close to their origin – sensors, cameras, machines, smartphones – instead of in a remote data center) capable of resisting vibrations, heat and incessant transport.
At each stage, the technicians move hundreds of servers and storage that must be assembled in a few hours and immediately put into operation. “It is a constant stress-test for us too: the products that resist the rhythm of F1 can face any challenge in the company, scientific and daily and daily”, underlines Lara Rodini, Global Sponsorships & Activation Director of Lenovo.
The operational heart of technology is actually … double!
The operational heart of each Grand Prix is called Event Technology Center (etc), a mobile structure that follows the stop championship after stopping. Ten days before the race we start from an empty circuit and within five days the shed takes shape that will host monitors and computers, with the installation of the connectivity Pod and the main apparatuses. In the following five days 58 kilometers of fiber optic cables are laid along the entire route, mounted the sensors, cameras and antennas. Three days before the green traffic light, finally, the ETC is already ready for the high -speed test that certifies the correct functioning of the network … and the show starts! At the end of the weekend, the disassembly must be equally rapid, especially in the case of close events. «In the event that there were competitions on two consecutive Sundays, we act with two different structures. The disassembled one is not transported to the headquarters of the next event, but to the one after yet, and so on », explains Gary Crocombo, IT Network Manager of F1. In practice, as happens with files on computers, a real physical “backup” of tent and systems to ensure that everything is always perfect for the GP, thanks to a logistical chain carried out with engineering precision.
But be careful, the ETC is only the terminal of the television production system in Formula 1. Once upon a time, the television direction followed the great prizes on site, today instead the nerve center is fixed and is located in Biggin Hill, near London, in the media and technology center of Formula 1. Thanks to the Lenovo infrastructure and very powerful connection speed, images and data collected by thousands of kilometers away, From Australia to Mexico, from Brazil to Japan, they arrive in England in less than a quarter of a second, and it is there that they are mounted and distributed to all international broadcasts. The entire television production therefore takes place thousands of kilometers from the circuits, but the viewer does not perceive any difference.
On the contrary, the remote direction allows you to better exploit the digital archives, to introduce graphics in real time and to improve the narration of the races.
What a path make the data and images
Every weekend of the race Formula 1 manages a huge multimedia ecosystem: dozens of cameras on the track, microphones positioned in strategic points, real -time radio feeds from all twenty single -seater. All these flows converge on the hardware made by the Asian company, which elaborates and sends them to the Media Techonolgy Center (MTC). It is thanks to this invisible chain that the viewer can listen to the drivers’s radio teams live or review a overtaking from multiple angles a few seconds after this has happened. In some GPs it is also experienced with remote controlled on-board cameras: from the British control room you decide the best shot or change the signal quality, without any perceptible latency: an operation that only a few years ago would have been unthinkable.
In practice, the only thing that is faster than a car in a Formula 1 motoring is the connection speed. In fact, each circuit requires two 10 gigabit data lines and a fiber optic network that covers the entire track. No satellite transmission is used and latency must remain very low to allow even delicate operations such as remote control of the cameras. In some tests conducted during the season, quality quality and parameters of recovery of cameras on the track have been modified from the control room in the United Kingdom, all in less than a snap of fingers, with the certainty that nothing can be lost. What if something stops? Lenovo systems activate automatic redundancies that allow not to lose even a frame. The challenge is twofold: to manage huge quantities of data and do it with reliability that must touch 100%.
Not only speed and reliability: Formula 1 also looks at sustainability
Obviously, in today’s world we cannot escape environmental issues. For this reason, the partnership between Lenovo and Formula 1 does not only look at speed and reliability, but also to sustainability. Centralizing production reduces travel and energy costs, while devices are reused and recycled to limit the impact with nature. And then there is the IA: in perspective, artificial intelligence will be increasingly integrated into data management, allowing predictive analyzes and even faster processes.
Some algorithms, already in experimentation, could automatically recognize highlight moments of the race, such as overtaking or accidents, to report them immediately to the direction: an evolution that, as happens with the transfer of technology from the single -seater to our cars, will soon bring innovations from the world of everyday life races, with implications in every field, from telemedicine to increased reality.