Watching Formula 1 (F1) has become an immersive experience, even for fans catching the races remotely. Fans can feel like they are in the driver’s seat with access to live timing features and live onboard camera feeds, allowing them to see every high-speed turn, split-second overtake, and dramatic finish from the driver’s point of view.
To further improve the fan viewing experience, the F1 organisation explored the use of Lenovo’s AI-enhanced hardware to scale the number of live-stream videos while improving video quality and content consistency. With Lenovo’s AI PCs (or personal computers designed to handle artificial intelligence (AI) tasks efficiently), F1 could accelerate video processing speeds by automatically detecting low-quality frames from cameras on each car and performing dynamic corrections for clearer video quality.
“We are working with Lenovo to develop AI-optimised products as well as ensure we have the right IT infrastructure that supports our global sport. We hope AI devices like AI PC will help us improve our productivity, creativity and collaboration,” says Lee Wright, head of IT Operations at Formula 1, at a media roundtable hosted by Lenovo on April 3 in Nagoya, Japan.
F1 is also using Lenovo’s edge computing solutions to collect data on premises, improve data storage at races and create more engaging content for its fans.
“Previously, we were shipping 40 air freight containers filled with compute and broadcast hardware weighing over 250 tonnes for data [and video feed] acquisition, processing and distribution. Thanks to Lenovo, we could transform to become a remote operation and production as well as reduce our technical footprint. [For instance, we’ve replaced] 200 physical workstations with a much smaller and performant virtual platform with Lenovo,” shares Lee.
Lenovo’s high-performance computer hardware solutions (including servers), support a range of demanding video applications, including graphics rendering, video editing, and on-premises broadcast infrastructure. They also power video transmission and general broadcast command and control applications, forming the backbone of F1’s live broadcast workflows and ensuring smooth, real-time delivery to fans worldwide.
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Lee explains: “We transmit more than 500 terabytes of data between the Grand Prix track and our Media and Technology Centre in the UK every race weekend. Much of that data is processed through Lenovo and transmitted through our connectivity partner’s fibre optic connections, enabling data to be sent and processed as quickly as possible and with the lowest latency.”
Formula One's Media and Technology Centre in Biggin Hill, UK. Photo: Jacob Niblett/ Shutterstock Studios
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Lenovo has been an official partner of F1 since 2022. It expanded its partnership to become a Global Partner and a Global Technology Partner of Formula 1 starting this year. At the same time, Motorola (which is part of Lenovo) was announced as the Global Smartphone Partner of F1, effective from the 2025 season.
Under the expanded partnership, Lenovo will provide an even broader range of hardware solutions, spanning ThinkPad laptops, workstations, and edge computing, to support F1’s evolving technology landscape.
More than 600 F1 employees, from trackside engineers to executives at the Media and Technology Centre in Biggin Hill, UK, rely on Lenovo’s devices to optimise performance in high-stakes environments.
Be it workstations or servers, Lenovo’s trackside hardware is built to withstand extreme conditions—heat, cold, dust, and vibrations—ensuring reliable performance at every race. Meanwhile, Lenovo’s high-end workstations play a crucial role in computer-aided design, graphics creation, and live-feed production, accelerating content generation for global audiences.
With sustainability a growing focus, Lenovo’s Asset Recovery Services (ARS) is assisting F1 in implementing eco-friendly disposal strategies for aging technology. This initiative not only offsets costs, but also ensures secure data destruction and responsible recycling, which aligns with F1’s environmental goals.
“We have an ambitious sustainability target and believe services such as Lenovo’s ARS [will help us achieve that.] It has enabled us to recycle our old hardware sustainably, replaced our four-rack units with three workstations to reduce tech footprint and freight weight to ultimately reduce carbon emissions. We’re also exploring the use of liquid cooling with Lenovo in our UK data centre,” shares Lee.
As F1 seeks to maintain flexibility in a rapidly evolving landscape, Lenovo’s scalable, consumption-based technology model is under consideration. The move will allow the sport to adapt quickly to new challenges and opportunities.
