Formula 1 continues to grow on a global scale, and one of its biggest and most iconic brands is taking an important step to help connect its 400 million-plus fans.
Scuderia Ferrari HP and IBM, the leading provider of global hybrid could and AI, are debuting a reimagined mobile app experience designed to give the team’s passionate “Tifosi” closer than ever to its cars, their drivers, and most importantly, each other.
Jonathan Adashek, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications at IBM, talked to FOX Business about the importance of using the technology giant’s AI capabilities to help grow the Ferrari brand and connect F1 lovers around the world.
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“We’re thrilled to be partners with Ferrari,” Adashek said. “To me, it’s two iconic brands that are really coming together to do something that I don’t think has been done yet in the sport. I feel like it’s similar to the work we do with many of our other partners – looking at things differently. How do we use the best technology we can bring to the table to really help them?”
The Scuderia Ferrari app will have a more immersive experience in its Race Center and Racing Insights built with IBM watsonx, which includes AI-generated race summaries that provide the team’s performance within hours after a race.
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The app will also feature post-race visuals to get a different look at each event, with post-race drive and car data including telemetry, track conditions, weather and much more.
But perhaps one of the biggest pieces of the app is connectivity, specifically with fan messages, fan polls and more. This feature will slow fans to send messages directly to the Ferrari team, which could be featured in social media posts, team blogs and more.
Ferrari fans will also be able to interact with one another through the app, and that is what Adashek described as very important because this is something fans can use even outside the F1 season.
“How do we help them engage the 400 million Tifosi around the world? To not just say ‘Forza Ferrari’ to each other, but get in a much more vocal, global voice of ‘Forza Ferrari,’ and how they really live it year round in a unique way.”
Also, considering Ferrari is stitch into the very fabric of Italian culture, it’s only right that the app will be available for the first time in the language.
“That is a big one for us, and we’re very excited for it,” Adashek said. “I’m hopeful, and I’m not making any commitments, but I’m hopeful we will see other languages in the future. But Ferrari would want it in their home language, not just in English. So, I think it’s a big move.”
IBM has worked with a number of sports leagues and signature sporting events through the years, including The Masters, UFC, and U.S. Tennis Open. Much like technology, Adashek preaches the importance of always looking to innovate and grow each partnership to ensure fans get the best insight possible.
To that note, IBM and Ferrari will continue to roll out new features on the app through 2025 and beyond to give fans an even better experience throughout the seasons.
“I can’t stress the importance of it,” Adashek said of continuing to evolve within the partnership. “I think both IBM and Scuderia Ferrari have a proven track record of really pushing the boundaries, of progress, of innovation, and of performance through technology in each of our respective industries. To bring those two together, the joint power of our two companies together, I think it’s going to be really important.”
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