The outcome
- Reliable information—In elite F1 racing there’s no margin for unreliability, and nothing is left to chance.
- Lightning-fast intelligence—Between the simulator back at the UK base and the race team at the track when every millisecond counts.
- Full access and collaboration—Simulator operators and engineers can work remotely, securely and with total efficiency in real time.
Background
In Formula 1, competition is just as intense off the track as it is on it, and nothing is left to chance. The Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team seeks a competitive advantage at every stage to get first past the finish line. This includes the technology it deploys throughout its operations.
The driver-in-loop simulator, at the team’s Brackley base, is a key tool for the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team. It replicates the behavior of the real car, but in a controlled digital environment where every circuit can be driven on and every possible car configuration can be explored.
Christian Damm Simulator Development Engineer
“A simulator is a digital car that we've made to adhere to the FIA regulations. That means that we need to make mathematical models and estimate how the car is going to behave in a digital world.”
Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team drivers, George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, use the simulator to test drive different car setups and discover the best possible options to configure it for the race weekend. This year, the simulator work is especially important for rookie driver Antonelli as he familiarizes himself with tracks he has not previously raced on throughout his junior series campaigns.
The team’s reserve and simulator drivers are also often busy in the simulator, especially over race weekends. Simulator drivers and the simulator work closely with the engineers to test solutions for real-time issues—which, if effective, can be applied to the race cars on the next session.
Frederik Vesti Reserve Driver
“The simulator is a vital tool for the drivers. Sometimes we might not know the track that we're going to. It could be a brand-new track. Having the chance to drive it before we get there, in reality, is really key to the driver's performance. Everything in a Formula One simulator is 100% correlated. What's going on the real track is also happening in the sim. That's why we trust this simulator and why we can use it for performance.”
Challenges
The simulator can be in operation at any time, day or night, especially when the race team is overseas and in a different time zone. With TeamViewer, key personnel have the flexibility to log in, monitor, and make changes to the simulator devices remotely, even when they're not on site in Brackley.
“We run the simulator here through the course of the race weekend. Ensuring that the engineering team have access to the data that's coming out of the simulator in real time is key to providing that on-track performance.” Steve Riley, Head of IT and Service Operations.
Christian Damm Simulator Development Engineer
“Not only are the simulators a sensitive area, they're also very secretive. We need to be able to trust that the data security is in place. With TeamViewer, we can have that ease of mind.”
Solution
TeamViewer Tensor helps streamline the management of the simulator and allows new users to be added seamlessly.
With Tensor, the simulator is split into simple device groups which are enforced by IT and serve as the single source of truth. Individuals can then be easily added without any loss of information.
TeamViewer Tensor’s scalability and centralized management allows the simulator team to effortlessly add or remove users and machines, reducing the time it takes to manage new resources and secure them within groups.
Tensor also displays significantly better resolution than the previous software used by the team, which would stutter and freeze. Tensor’s ability to utilize a higher bit rate and tune colors as needed has allowed it to avoid these disruptive issues, providing a high-quality experience at all times.
Steve Riley Head of IT and Service Operations
“We use TeamViewer in a number of different ways, both here at the factory and also at the track, and that's what we call our digital workplaces. So when the simulator team came to us and asked if we had any other types of technology in this space, it was a logical choice to use TeamViewer.”
Improved efficiency is a crucial benefit that ultimately helps to make the car more competitive.
“Time is everything for us, and whether that's an engineer at the track or an IT resource back here in the factory, making sure they can access all of the data in real time that they need to do their job is critical, and can actually be the difference between winning and losing on track.” Steve Riley, Head of IT and Service Operations.
“One of the benefits of using TeamViewer is dynamic remoting that allows multiple users to connect to one machine to troubleshoot a problem together. I have a quite specific setup at my desk, with multiple screens. With advanced remoting from TeamViewer being able to replicate that with my laptop is a great help to me.” Christian Damm, Simulator Development Engineer.
Results
TeamViewer Tensor has made the operation of the simulator more efficient in multiple areas, and that in turn feeds into the team’s competitiveness on the track. This is especially important on race weekends when the results of the simulator are directly tied to improving the real-world performance of the race car.
“One example where TeamViewer has had a real impact for me was delivering a project in a short timeline, which I managed to do in a day working remotely, whereas it would have taken me a couple of days otherwise if I had used our previous remoting access solutions.” Christian Damm, Simulator Development Engineer.
As a result, TeamViewer’s solutions are directly contributing to the performance of George and Kimi at racing circuits around the world.
Christian Damm Simulator Development Engineer
“We're trying to chase every millisecond here at the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team and with TeamViewer, we're not just a partner, we're a customer.”
“TeamViewer supports the practical operation of the simulator by connecting us to all the machines that make up the simulator. TeamViewer is both reliable and performant, and they're the two things we look for.” Steve Riley, Head of IT and Service Operations.
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