DATA SHARING IN MSA FORMULA MATT AMES

THE VOICE OF NATIONAL RACING JAMES “Maybe there needs to be discretion”

Ford MSA Formula drivers will benefit from open data sharing sessions this year after a successful trial at Brands Hatch last weekend.

Britain’s FIA Formula 4 category tried a new open-data driving training scheme in Kent last weekend where the data trace from the fastest car in qualifying was made open to all drivers to analyse against their own during one-to-one debriefs with an MSA Academy coach.

GP3 race winner and Force India F1 test driver Nick Yelloly and MSA Academy member Jake Cook were on-hand to talk drivers through Petru Florescu’s pole lap data.

Championship manager Sam Roach said: “The coaching sessions have been very successful so they’ll continue all season. MSA Formula is a learning category so allowing drivers to see their data traces overlaid with the fastest car in a session highlights what they could do better and helps them improve. It’s pretty unique as I can’t think of many professional championships that operate a data-sharing programme.”