McLaren-Honda, a pioneer for over 50 years in Formula 1, and NTT Communications Corporation, the ICT solutions and international communications business within the NTT Group, has today announced the start of a three-year technology partnership.

Under the agreement NTT Communications becomes a Technology Partner to McLaren-Honda. Over the course of the partnership, NTT Communications will provide network, cloud, data connectivity and other innovations to meet McLaren's need for an IT communications platform that delivers optimum performance to support its Formula 1 race team.

Partnership to underpin McLaren's new IT strategy

The McLaren team celebrates its 50th anniversary on the Formula 1 grid this year and this partnership will underpin its new IT strategy which has a focus on cloud, mobility and people centric services.

Ron Dennis, Chairman and CEO, McLaren Technology Group that includes the McLaren-Honda team said: "I am delighted to welcome NTT Communications to the roster of McLaren-Honda's high-technology and premium brands. NTT has a long association with technology that goes all the way back to the introduction of the telegraph in Japan. Given McLaren's long association with innovation, it is only fitting that we should join forces with such an established and well-respected leader in enterprise communications technology who well understands our own drive for relentless technical development.

"NTT Communications has a resilient and high-capacity network that will allow the team to access its systems without delays."

Tetsuya Shoji, President and CEO, NTT Communications said: "I am thrilled that NTT Communications is now a Technology Partner for McLaren-Honda, a symbol of innovation for motorsport fans worldwide. The NTT Communications technology repertoire is wide and deep, and McLaren's excellence in Formula 1 is world renowned. With innovation a part of the DNA of both companies, this partnership will help McLaren-Honda transform how it manages the data generated during Formula 1 races and transcend hitherto established boundaries in motorsports racing."

Network and cloud services for resilient and accessible performance

McLaren needs a robust network across its globally distributed support and analysis locations including its headquarters, the McLaren Technology Centre, in Woking (UK).

NTT Communications will offer Wide Area Network (WAN) and Network Functions Virtualisation (NFV) services to McLaren across multiple countries including UK, Spain, US, Singapore and Japan. During race weekends, this network is critical to support the transmission of data in real-time from McLaren's race cars to the company's technology and engineering teams based in the UK. NTT Communications will combine the management of WAN and LAN (Local Area Network) services to provide a seamless and consistently managed network to increase the quality, resilience and availability of end to end ICT services.

NTT Communications will offer its enhanced Enterprise Cloud 2.0 services to provide a platform from which McLaren can consume dedicated and shared computing and storage resources on a Pay-As-You-Go model. This service, together with the NTT Communications consulting practice and Cloud Management Platform (CMP), will offer McLaren a strong opportunity to deliver on its technology transformation strategy.

NTT Communications and McLaren will also work together to explore other advanced technologies capable of enhancing the performance of the team.