Last June, Amazon Web Services (AWS) revealed that F1 was moving the vast majority of its infrastructure from on-premises data centres to AWS, and standardizing on its machine learning and data analytics services to accelerate its cloud transformation.

Working with AWS, F1 was seeking to enhance its race strategies, data tracking systems, and digital broadcasts through a wide variety of AWS services - including Amazon SageMaker, a fully managed machine learning service that enables developers to build and deploy machine learning models and thereby uncover never-before-seen metrics intended to "change the way fans and teams enjoy, experience, and participate in racing".

Using SageMaker, it was revealed that F1's data scientists were training deep learning models with more than 65 years of historical race data, from which they could extract critical race performance statistics to make race predictions and give fans insight into the split-second decisions and strategies adopted by teams and drivers.

Speaking at the AWS re:Invent learning conference in Las Vegas, F1's technical boss, Ross Brawn, revealed the initial fruits of their labours as he introduced a number of new graphics aimed at enhancing the fan experience.

"For next season we are expanding the 'F1 Insights' for our viewers, by further integrating the telemetry data such as the car position, the tyre condition, even the weather, so we can use 'Sagemaker' to predict car performance, pit stops and race strategy," said the Briton. "There will be some exciting new AI integrations into next year's F1 TV broadcast."

Introducing the 'car performance' graphic, he said: "We know that somebody is in trouble: his rear tyres are overheating. We can look at the history of the tyres and how they have worked and where he is in the race, and machine learning can help us apply a proper analysis of the situation.

"We can bring that information to the fans and make them understand if the guy is in trouble or if he can manage the situation. These are insights the teams always had but we are going to bring them out to the fans and show them what is happening."

Interestingly, though not surprising, initial reaction from fans is not positive, far from it, with fans declaring the graphics, "gimmicky", "intrusive" and "unnecessary".

"Wheel-to-wheel racing is the essence, a critical aspect of the sport," he continued, referring to the 'overtake probability' graphic, "and now with machine learning and using live data and historical data, we can make predictions about what is going to happen.

"The graphic on the right shows what we expect is going to happen in this event. What is great about this, is that the teams don't have all this data. We as F1 know the data from both cars and we can make this comparison and this has never been done before."

Finally, he introduced the graphic dealing with pit stop strategy.

"Stopping at the right time and fitting the right tyre can win or lose a race," he said. "We are going to take all the data and give the fans an insight into why they stopped and when they stopped – did the team and driver make the right call?"

Which is all very well, but other than the obvious question mark over the reality of overtaking as opposed to the "probability", one feels that this will appeal to a narrow range of fans and unlikely to impress casual fans.

At the same time, with the sport increasingly disappearing behind paywalls...

Indeed, with the graphics seemingly aimed at a narrow audience band, the more sceptical among you might suspect that the 'overtake probability' version has ample room for a message from betting partners Interregional Sports Group and Sportradar, along the lines of... "odds on overtake being successful 3 to 1".

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by BillH, 07/12/2018 22:54

"One thing I like about F1 is the unknown, where the likes of Ricciardo makes an overtaking move that didn't look possible let alone probable. That's what I find exciting, the hunting down of the car ahead, the defence, the attempts to overtake, something DRS has wrecked in a way on some tracks. Sometimes I wonder if the F1 powers that be should switch DRS around so the following car can use it until they get to half a second behind and can't use it to overtake, particularly at Monza.

I do like a lot of information when the cars are in practise sessions and the commentators explaining things like tyre condition, however the new graphics could take away some of the surprise for the sport.

I don't know if I'll be watching F1 next year but would need to see how this new fangled information goes before opining on it.
"

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2. Posted by Hannes, 07/12/2018 20:06

"Seems we have a bunch of F1 fans here complaining that it's too much information???

I always thought that the more you know about F1 the more interesting it gets. "

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3. Posted by PaulButler, 06/12/2018 13:40

"In many ways I'm glad that I won't be seeing races "live" next year on TV. I got irritated by that little "jingle" they played when someone made fastest lap or had a pit-stop, this would just make me turn the TV even faster.

As I said to my oldest son, F1 is no longer the sport it was and it's no longer the sport for me. I guess after some 50 years of watching it (properly back in the 60's , 70's and 80's) I've had a good run. Time to move on now!"

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4. Posted by Motorsport-fan, 06/12/2018 13:07

"This only assists online gambling."

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5. Posted by Egalitarian, 05/12/2018 0:53

"@playF1... Sadly, I think you have it nailed. Creating more misery for people who know nothing but chance.
"Wow! Look at this team; they are $1:50" instead of "This team performs really well because of engine power, chassis engineering, innovation, reliability, tyre choice and driver"
I look forward to the day when legislators in my country do actually go all nanny-state on this one - to protect families and others - by introducing limitations on advertising these betting apps nonsense."

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6. Posted by Elf Team Tyrrell, 04/12/2018 22:33

"Please just bring back proper racing, with proper engines and proper simple cars
"

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7. Posted by F One, 04/12/2018 21:26

"I really miss the elegant simplicity of the old black and yellow graphics. We don't need all this cr*p on the screen."

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8. Posted by 79-626inHI, 04/12/2018 16:53

"That Renault engine sounds like an old washing machine that someone hooked up to an accelerator pedal. "

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9. Posted by Uffen, 04/12/2018 15:37

"Talk about underwhelming. A lot of distraction for something that should be evident to anyone watching.
Let it go, Liberty."

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10. Posted by FQITW, 04/12/2018 15:15

"What a load of Bo!!ox."

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11. Posted by SteveAikens, 04/12/2018 14:48

"If I wanted to see F1 races as a computer game - I'd buy a computer game.

I want and watch F1 live - real cars, real tracks, real audio. When it's not cost prohibitive, I have been attending F1 races all over Europe and now in the U.S..

The very last thing I want to see are CAD graphics in my sport."

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12. Posted by Greg, 04/12/2018 14:07

"Ok so i am sitting in the back of the pits watching he coverage on TV. Hmmm i see that team A is trying this lets see if we can change our stratergy to suit that better also. Team B's tyres are oing out quicker than puta. We may be able to overcut them. To much info. As Rock Doc said looks more like a video game and being done to enhance the betting that is to come. "

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13. Posted by Rock Doc, 04/12/2018 13:41

"All of this is making F1 seem more like the video game and less like the real sporting event it is. Fans don't need this.

If you want to make the fans happy, make the viewing free on TV and let them get closer in the paddock. No gimmcks
"

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14. Posted by PlayF1, 04/12/2018 13:30

"Displaying an opponents key car data, provides way too much information.
It is far better to let the drivers figure all that out.

The other two 'probability' graphics are simply silly (and distracting).
Who could come up with such suggestions?

A motorport fan?
Racing drivers?
Race teams?
A TV Media company?
A gambling company?

Hmmm ... Maybe a gambling company would pitch the idea to the TV Media company.

Match that to a mobile phone account, and you've got a chance for a momentary stupid decision to click a 'bet button' (based upon computer algorithms that can predict whatever they are programmed to predict).

Hey, we might even see adverts showing guilty looking people, whose hearts sink when the overtaking manoeuvre is won or lost ... when the fourth recovery bet again dumps their money away from their family. "

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