Oracle named as Red Bull Racing F1 title sponsor

Oracle has announced that it has become the title sponsor of the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team.

The cloud company and Red Bull Racing have enhanced their partnership and introduced a new team name, Oracle Red Bull Racing, and its new car for the upcoming season, the RB18.

Taking advantage of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) during last season’s championship run, the team increased the number of simulations they ran by 1,000x to improve the accuracy of their predictions and sharpen their decision-making, a statement said. In addition, they accelerated simulation speed by 10x, which gave race strategists more time to make the right call. OCI also reduced reduced the cost of billions of simulations, allowing the team to improve performance on the track cost-effectively, which is critical for success under F1’s stringent spending regulations.

It's official @Oracle 🤝 Launching into a new chapter of innovation in #F1 with our title partner 💪

— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) February 9, 2022

This season, OCI will enable the Oracle Red Bull Racing team to expand the volume and variety of data they analyse and increase the speed at which simulations run to predict better tactics that will lead to the podium. It will include expanded use of Oracle cloud in its vital areas of operation, such as analytics-based race strategy, optimised engine development, AI and machine learning-powered driver training, and a tailored fan experience.

“Oracle Cloud enabled us to make race-day decisions that helped Max Verstappen win the 2021 Drivers’ Championship,” said Oracle Red Bull Racing team principal and CEO Christian Horner. “Discovering and reacting to opportunities quickly is crucial to our success on and off the track, and Oracle is integral in that effort. Every element of our performance is driven by data analysis.”

Introducing the lean, mean, #RB18 🔥 #F1 pic.twitter.com/8RldKjT4cE

— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) February 9, 2022

Last season, Oracle and Red Bull Racing also launched a fan loyalty platform powered by OCI – The Red Bull Racing Paddock. Since The Paddock’s inception, Red Bull Racing has seen an over 9x increase in member sign-ups. In addition, the new, direct line of communication between fans and the team has created outstanding engagement, with registered fans submitting thousands of questions to the team and redeeming 35,000 digital rewards.

This year, the team will incorporate new features and capabilities, including the ability to create user-generated content to bring an even deeper layer of personalisation to fans.

“We want to take fans with us on our competitive journey in F1, putting them right at the heart of the racing action, and Oracle’s world-class innovation and technology will help us achieve that goal,” said Oliver Hughes, chief marketing officer, Oracle Red Bull Racing.

“Red Bull Racing has been more committed than any other F1 team in its use of technology to gain an edge, and it is paying off,” said Ariel Kelman, executive vice president and chief marketing officer, Oracle. “Our commitment to this partnership reflects our belief that OCI is a strategic weapon on race day, helps create the most exciting fan experience in sports, and can define the future of F1. Oracle Red Bull Racing is, and will continue to be, the most forward-thinking and innovative F1 team in the world.”

Meanwhile, the cloud player is working with Red Bull Powertrains to develop the next generation of F1 engines set to debut in 2026 as Red Bull Racing becomes one of only four current manufacturers supplying engines for F1. Red Bull Powertrains will use OCI to optimise the modelling of its new engine combustion chamber to reduce costs while improving results.

Red Bull Advanced Technologies and Oracle are also partnering to help develop the next generation of junior drivers to better understand how data can inform and fine-tune their driving style to reduce their lap times through projects that apply AI and machine learning.

The Formula 1 2022 season begins March 18-20 with the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Bahrain.

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