Milliseconds that matter
Advanced data analytics software from IBM helps the F1 Aston Martin Red Bull Racing team gain that competitive advantage, writes Balqis Lim
THE Formula One event stands as one of the most complex challenges participated in by motor racing teams. In this race, even fractions of milliseconds matter. The ability to shave milliseconds off the lap time is the factor that determines who wins and loses in a race: 0.699 seconds, that was the time difference between first and second place at this year’s Bahrain Formula 1 Grand Prix in April.
However, building a dramatically better F1 car is not really feasible, given the regulations by the body that governs the sport, the (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile) to ensure driver safety and to keep costs sustainable for smaller teams.
The height, width, and the position of bodywork, even the fuel used, must go through rigorous tests by the FIA. The human element has become the differentiator, given the uniformity across the cars. Previously, it was all about which team had the best driver and speed of the pit crews.
DATA-DRIVEN APPROACH
In an increasingly IoT (Internet of Things)focused world, more teams are employing sophisticated data-driven strategies to shave split seconds off lap times.
Aston Martin Red Bull Racing (RBR), for example, is transforming data into faster insight and more competitive F1 race cars with IBM Spectrum Solutions.
Andy Walls, Chief architect and Chief Technology Officer for IBM’s FlashSystems, says to enable more efficient and effective use of the factory’s High-Performance Computing (HPC) cluster, the team uses IBM Spectrum software to automate critical development processes.
“The Red Bull Racing team uses our IBM Spectrum Scale to find insights and true advantage in their massive amount of global data. Meanwhile, our IBM Spectrum LSF is used to handle the data scheduling and management of jobs on its many servers,” he says.
The IBM Spectrum software helps gain in productivity in the way the team uses its HPC resource. IBM’s scheduling and storage tools have also improved in managing workflow and maximising their data handling.
TESTING DATA
From car design, race simulation and engineering process (factors of car design to withstand the wind tunnel friction), Red Bull Racing team needs to be able to access the right data from wherever they are.
During practice simulations, the team embedded sensors in the car’s body which relayed back reports on tyre temperatures, and oil levels as well as pressure and wind resistance to the HPC.
With terabytes of unstructured information pouring in every second, all data will be gathered and analysed for different possible micro adjustments, and to find the best ones to maximise performance. However, during a race, the technology had allowed the data to be in the hands of team engineers real-time, giving them the possibility to analyse it on the spot and develop a winning setup.
Once the race is over, the cycle continues with more design interaction, simulation and testing, using the data about the car’s performance in the previous race as a guide to redesigning the new models.
RESULT
Walls says the software has allowed for a 30 per cent reduction in data access time, which has enabled faster insights for real-time decisions.
The Red Bull Racing team has also won several times in a race, after optimising the data input, he adds. IBM, Walls says, will continue making improvements to its Spectrum Scale and LSF software to make them more efficient.
“The Red Bull Racing team keeps coming back to us with more requests for features to make them more effective, and that has also made us tweak and refine the system even more,” he says.
Motorsports is continuously evolving, and data will also continue to play a part in the race for faster lap times. New technological developments will help many teams grip with the changes and ensure that fans are getting more fast and furious action.
IBM will continue making improvements to its Spectrum Scale and LSF software to make them more efficient. Andy Walls