Formula 1 teams have barely had any time before they are back in action, with just 49 days between the chequered flag falling at the 2025 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and the first test of 2026 in Barcelona.
The condensed winter break is a result of the all-new chassis and power unit design for this season, which sees simplified hybrid engines that output more electrical power and cars that now feature active aerodynamics.
This tight turnaround period is why teams requested an extra five-day test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, in addition to two regular three-day tests, amid concerns over reliability. The thinking is that holding it behind closed doors alleviates some of the pressure from media and fans.
The early verdict is that this wasn’t necessary, as seven teams took to the track on the opening day and completed a total of 631 laps between them without a hitch, which includes newcomers Cadillac.
Part of this can be attributed to the modern-day technology systems behind the scenes, with teams increasingly exploiting AI solutions to shorten lead times on part developments and optimise performance.
Speaking at the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team Chief Marketing Officer Rob Bloom explained the importance of utilising this ahead of the big rule changes this year.
“As we enter 2026, we have a whole new set of regulations that we are building towards, and that’s 12 months in the planning as we design and build an F1 car,” he said.
“At the same time, we work in a world that is in constant iteration. Not just in a grand prix sense, but we’re talking about the ability to pivot and change strategy, reacting to what’s happening in the world around us during the three-day event.
“Context and the ability to communicate, using technology to understand the data and culture, is everything in that decision-making process.”
Rapid concepts
Time is one of the biggest commodities in F1, and the daunting task of producing a brand-new challenger alongside developing their 2025 car’s last season was a major headache for teams.
Typically, they shift development over to next year’s car midway through the season, but teams were permitted to work on their 2026 machines as early as January.
We work in a world that is in constant iteration. Not just in a grand prix sense, but we’re talking about the ability to pivot and change strategy.
Rob Bloom
This is where AI and technology tools can help with providing greater clarity and understanding of key points of F1’s complicated regulations, according to Bloom.
“One of the things that F1 excels in is clean thinking. Really clear strategies, clear feedback and communication, and the ability to then create a framework that has the right systems, processes, and people operating within. When you get that right, then that unlocks creativity, self-expression, and freedom,” he explained.
“Where we excel from both a design and also from a marketing and commercial point of view, is that people are unified behind a clear vision and strategy. We know what the end goal is of our F1 team, and they can create new ideas, they can come up with new opportunities that ultimately make our car faster.”
Aston Martin has been one of the teams to embrace AI to help its car development process in recent years. Using AI agents developed in tandem with team partners and IT firms Cognizant and Arm, they are able to turn real data into new parts in a matter of hours.
This works by looking at data from three main sources: the track, wind tunnel and anticipated models. The AI agent continuously analyses the differences between each and sends them to a separate AI agent, which filters the data to optimise the shape of performance areas on the car, such as a front wing.
Once it is validated in computational fluid dynamics simulations, the results are checked and then sent to the additive manufacturing machine, which makes parts on Sunday evening after a race and has them ready to fit to a model the following Monday in time for the next Grand Prix.
World of data
Several other teams are also starting to embrace AI solutions, as evidenced by the recent partnership between technology giant Microsoft and the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team.
They will use Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing platform and AI capabilities to help with simulation workloads, performance analysis, race strategy and cross-team analytics.
Current world champions McLaren Mastercard F1 Team also use Google’s AI technologies to help visualise race data and provide insights, and leverage their historical data that dates back to Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost to help understand various performance areas with technology partner Dell.
Aston Martin is currently exploring human-plus-agent partnerships with Cognizant, whereby data is analysed by the AI agent in real-time during races and provides a response to the driver in addition to the race engineer.
As AI becomes increasingly integrated into F1 teams’ workspaces, human judgment remains key to engineering AI solutions, according to Bloom, who believes it’s important to find the right balance between speed and accuracy.
“In the creative process, there is a role for bringing generative AI into the equation. I’m not quite sure yet, as marketers and creative people, that we’ve figured out where that stops and starts,” he said.
“When you have a brand like Aston Martin, we are known for quality, creativity, and attention to detail; that’s what’s made us a phenomenal brand over the last 100 years.
“There is a role in generative AI and helping us make decisions faster in our creative process. We also need to make sure there is a human there who is inputting and making sure that the quality of the output never drops below the expected Aston Martin standards.
“That sometimes can be a blurred line because AI is there to help us move faster, not to undermine the quality of the end product.”
