(Motorsports news) Prior to 2020, SAP had a lengthy relationship with McLaren. During that time, the firm supported Mika Hakkinen’s 1998 and 1999 F1 world championship titles as well as Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 victory. Additionally, the business started supporting the now-defunct Mercedes Formula E team in 2018. The Mercedes F1 team has been a SAP customer for a while, even though they haven’t had a formal business relationship.
The Brackley group will now have access to innovations through the new relationship, however they will really undergo proof testing before being made widely available. SAP, according to Mercedes, will help increase operational effectiveness, particularly in light of the cost cap and the additional layers of complexity that the FIA financial laws have brought to the functioning of an F1 team.
In order to “explore how artificial intelligence, and cloud solutions from SAP can inform and predict decisions, optimize resources, and future-proof their IT infrastructure,” the team will employ SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition. SAP’s AI capabilities will enable the team to “forecast costs, predict the final budget needs, and optimise both the supply chain and stocked items accordingly” with respect to the particular constraints posed by the cost cap.
In order to “bring together a seamless view of data and systems from various sources across the organization,” the team will also make use of SAP Build and the SAP Business Technology Platform. This will aid in getting components on the track more quickly. Toto Wolff, the team principal, stated of the new collaboration, “We have a shared heritage and commitment to innovation and improvement which will meaningfully contribute to our on-track performance.”
“We could not think of a better partner to help us improve our efficiencies in 2024 and beyond than SAP, a global leader in its field. SAP has a long history of brilliant partnerships with some of the best teams and leagues across elite level sport,” said Richard Sanders, chief commercial officer of Mercedes F1. “We are honored to be the newest to collaborate with one of the top businesses in the globe.
Their skills, experience, and assistance will be essential in helping the team operate more efficiently. Chief marketing and solutions officer at SAP and board member Julia White emphasized that F1 was the ideal setting for the business. “F1 is among the world’s most technologically advanced sports, where small improvements have a big impact,” the speaker stated. Given the harsh operating environments that Formula One teams face, motorsports offer a worldwide stage for showcasing talent and engineering prowess. But a lot goes on behind the scenes in addition to the race day spectacle.
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