Microsoft and Mercedes have announced a multi-year partnership

With the presentation of the Mercedes W17, the Brackley team also announced its partnership with the giant Microsoft. The goal is clear: to increase efficiency, innovation, and performance, while also enhancing the experience of over 800 million Formula 1 fans worldwide.

Mercedes and Microsoft join forces in F1

The agreement comes at a crucial time for the Circus. The new technical regulations set for 2026 will indeed usher in a new era of Formula 1, characterized by greater electrification, efficiency, and sustainability, representing one of the most significant transformations in the modern history of the sport. In anticipation of this change, the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 team has chosen to rely on Microsoft’s enterprise cloud and artificial intelligence, integrating them into all areas of the business, from the factory to the track.

“Our sport is driven by those who lead through innovation“, said Toto Wolff, CEO and Team Principal of the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team. “We are excited to collaborate with Microsoft, one of the world’s leading technology companies. Putting Microsoft technology at the heart of our operations will allow us to gain faster insights, smarter collaboration, and new ways of working, looking towards the next generation of Formula 1“.

In a championship where tenths of a second make the difference and every decision is data-driven, Formula 1 represents an extreme stress test for digital systems: enormous volumes of information, real-time decisions, global operations, and zero tolerance for error. It is on this shared vision that Microsoft and the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team intend to set a new standard in the use of high-performance enterprise technologies.

“This partnership brings Microsoft’s cloud and AI to the heart of on-track performance, where milliseconds count“, explained Judson Althoff, CEO of Microsoft Commercial Business. “Together we will transform data into real-time intelligence, supporting faster decisions, smarter strategies, and a sustainable competitive advantage, both on and off the track“.

Formula 1 races at the speed of data

Modern Formula 1 cars are machines of extreme precision: each Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 car is equipped with over 400 sensors, capable of generating more than 1.1 million data points per second. From tire wear to aerodynamic behavior, from Energy Recovery System management to track conditions, every variable must be interpreted in real-time.

Thanks to Microsoft Azure and its artificial intelligence capabilities, the team can enhance high-performance computing infrastructures, both in the factory and on the track. The cloud will support simulations, performance analysis, race strategy modeling, and cross-sectional analysis, ensuring flexibility, scalability, and immediate insights at crucial moments.

“It is a privilege to welcome Microsoft into the ecosystem of Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team partners“, commented Richard Sanders, Chief Commercial Officer of the team. “Microsoft technology is already central to our operations, and this partnership opens up new opportunities for innovation in anticipation of the next technological era of Formula 1“.

Microsoft technology at the service of the team

Tools like Microsoft 365 and GitHub are already at the core of the team’s engineering and operational workflows, at the Brackley and Brixworth sites as well as in the paddock. The agreement now foresees an even more extensive use of Microsoft 365, to increase agility, speed of innovation, and operational efficiency.

In parallel, GitHub will become increasingly central to software development, simulation, and engineering processes, enabling faster, more consistent, and efficient workflows.

Microsoft Azure

The use of Microsoft Azure has already allowed the team to experiment with intelligent virtual sensors, leveraging real-time data and cloud tools without waiting for new on-premise infrastructures. With Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team can dynamically scale computing power, optimizing resources and costs while adhering to strict regulatory constraints.