The McLaren Formula 1 Team Assures Race Day Connectivity With ThousandEyes

When milliseconds matter, operational precision is paramount. In the adrenaline-fueled sport of Formula 1, the McLaren F1 team pairs the sounds of racing engines with the silent operation of advanced technology, underscoring how swift and efficient IT support is vital to performance on the track.

A week before a race day unfolds, the McLaren IT team arrives at the circuit, essential cargo in tow, including a remote data center that is the electronic brain powering their race operations.

As the excitement of the race week builds, the IT team works on deploying and configuring the remote data center from mission control in Woking, England. This deployment can be tricky due to the abrupt connectivity access at the track, an essential part of getting all the race data back to home base. From afar, they meticulously set up trackside-based servers and fine tune systems using remote technologies, ensuring that every digital service performs with precision, ready to deliver race data and telemetry.

This process of standing up a remote data center is not a singular event, but a recurring endurance test. The team builds and dismantles their “electronic brain” 24 times over the racing season, at every Grand Prix race around the globe. Each time, the team encounters different and unpredictable conditions within the network environment that must be addressed and tuned for optimal performance.

For the McLaren F1 team, milliseconds make the difference between the podium and finishing last. The McLaren IT team recognizes their technology must operate with the same level of precision. To prevent IT issues that can impair operations during critical periods like Grand Prix events, they implemented ThousandEyes, specifically Enterprise Agents within its data center connecting back to mission control, prior to the Montreal Grand Prix 2023. This move proactively tuned its network for optimal performance. The setup process was fast and efficient, taking only a couple of hours, and the results were immediate.

With ThousandEyes, the McLaren Racing IT team now has unprecedented visibility into their systems—allowing them to meticulously monitor the flow of data, track the volume of information being transferred, and evaluate user experience in a straightforward manner. This granular insight is essential for the IT team, especially considering the high-pressure environment in which they operate.

At the racetrack, the team has IT personnel who are constantly on the move, working carefully under tight timelines. ThousandEyes supports these team members, providing IT with real-time insights and visibility into how the network’s performance is impacting each members productivity.

ThousandEyes has enhanced the reliability and efficiency of IT resources, particularly important in the fast-paced world of racing where operational precision is paramount.