I’m a huge Formula 1 fan. Honestly, my fandom almost borders on obsession. By now, you probably know that Citrix sponsors the Aston Martin Red Bull Racing team. But what we provide the team is more than just a sponsorship. Recently I went with a team from Citrix to the Circuit of the Americas for the 2019 American Grand Prix. We had access to the pits for the team, including the opportunity to see how the team uses Citrix technology to give them a winning edge. What I found were lessons most companies could apply themselves.
Aston Martin Red Bull Racing’s methodology and implementation of our technology is highly customized and proprietary. So I wasn’t allowed to take pictures and can’t tell you everything I saw. The good news? All the tools they use are available to any company from any industry and of virtually any size.
The High-Performance Use Case
Aston Martin Red Bull Racing uses Citrix technology to win, and we enable the team to adapt on the fly at 200 miles an hour, on any track and in any weather conditions. The team uses Citrix technology to collect data, support their strategy, and provide the ability (and the agility) to manage change on the track. The technology the use includes:
- Citrix Workspace and Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops, which provide a seamless, high-performance platform where the team can collaborate, no matter where they are or what device they’re using.
- Citrix Hypervisor, which delivers performance optimization for the team’s virtualized platform.
- Citrix ADC, which ensures platform uptime and maximum performance for the team’s apps and supports a hybrid multi-cloud architecture. What does that mean for users? An outstanding experience through lightning-fast performance.
Lessons Learned from the Track
Data Collection
Not every organization moves at the speed of a Formula 1 team, but they face similar challenges. Data is collected through work, applications, or other sources. Formula 1 races are decided in tenths of a second or less. There are millions of permutations of variables interacting to win or lose a race. There are over 100 sensors on both Red Bull cars generating telemetry, which is augmented with track and weather data. The car is one large control plane with a driver, team management, a pit crew, and technologists at the track in Milton Keynes in the United Kingdom. There is a team in the UK that helps drive strategy with team management. Key elements of this data are accessed remotely through the team’s Citrix platform in near real-time.
Data-Driven Strategy
Organizations should thoughtfully analyze data to guide effective tactical and strategic decision making. The entire Aston Martin Red Bull Racing team — management, strategist, even the drivers — make hundreds of decisions around adapting to track conditions and controlling the performance of their cars. The team generates a multiple gigabytes of data to be analyzed for strategic decisions during a race weekend and after. Some of Aston Martin Red Bull Racing’s tools are delivered through an organized Citrix Workspace for decision support and collaboration.
Change Management
Finally, change management is a fact of life for every organization. Competitive environments (and markets, supply chain, buyer behavior, and much more) can change with alarming speed in any industry. Every car is an evolving prototype that changes before, during and after a race. The team will make approximately 30,000 updates to their design during a race season. Decisions are supported by the data collected through and applications delivered using Citrix technology. Change management is a critical part of team success because these decisions can lead to wins and improved car performance.
Aston Martin Red Bull Racing has won four double world championships, and the team is considered among the best in the sport. But they face the same challenges any organization does. Resource management and the ability for employees to get their work done efficiently and effectively affect budgets, the bottom line, and the ability to compete. Why not have industry-leading tools to guide your decision making and ensure your success? Citrix is how.
Learn more about Citrix and Aston Martin Red Bull Racing.
