In a sport like Formula One, milliseconds make all the difference.
Just to underline that, one of the qualifying sessions in the run up to the last Austrian Grand Prix saw less than 0.8 seconds separate the lap times of the fastest 20 cars.
It was a record at the time but you can expect that digit to drop significantly in the coming years.
This upsurge in competitiveness comes as a direct result of the correct analysis of the choicest chunks gleaned from a massive upsurge in data collection.
AI plays its part. In just a few years, this aspect of the sport has become as crucial to F1’s key players as the drivers themselves.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) sits centre stage here, having already played a pivotal role in transforming the racing calendar and acting as the sport’s digital backbone. The data it collects and shares has impacted everything from car design and race strategy to fan engagement.
These days, race cars are fitted with more than 300 sensors, generating around 1.1 million data points per second.
Similarly, there are sensors all around the track at strategic points providing more detail (if any were needed). This colossal amount of information is streamed to AWS, where it is processed and analysed in real-time. Thereafter, each team receives all the data about their own two vehicles, but none concerning their rivals.
This allows principals to make split-second decisions on everything from strategy and pit stops to energy deployment and tyre selection, all while the race is happening.
The whole process is called predictive modelling and, using historical data and current telemetry, AWS's AI machine learning models are able to predict various outcomes, even the best time for a potential overtaking manoeuvre.
“The partnership with AWS enables us to use machine learning and cloud technologies to improve step-by-step in every department," said Ferrari team principal Frederic Vavaseur. "This can be highly beneficial with everything from product improvements to increasing fan engagement.”
Crucially, one of the most compelling innovations is the ability of the system to generate graphics that simulate what would have happened if a team had made a different strategic decision – a different tyre compound choice, say – or even assessing the impact of a driver error.
Longer term, the information collated can be used to improve car design, with its ability to run thousands of simulations much more quickly than traditional on-track testing would allow – and also at a fraction of the cost.
AWS also offers interactive fan experiences like the Real-Time Race Track online tool, which allows fans to design their own F1 circuits, which are then analysed by company’s AI systems to produce projected lap times, top speeds, and even viable race stategies.
Spectators can also access F1 Insights, a series of real-time on-screen graphics that appear during broadcasts and provide those watching with information about driver performance, car capabilities, and team strategy.
Broadcasters are able to get in on the action, too, as the AWS’s Track Pulse tool can quickly mine an extensive stream of historical data to pull up facts and statistics to enliven commentary.
It’s all about what the company calls intelligent storytelling.
Ruth Buscombe-Divey is AWS’s motorsports ambassador as well as one of F1 TV’s most prominent presenters.
She says the changes that have happened within the sport recently are game changers for its future.
“If you applied the technologies that were being used to win races five years ago, it’s not going to work,” she says, describing what is happening now as a “data-driven battlefield” where those involved have to keep pushing both technological advances and how exactly to best use the spiralling amount of information being generated.
She sees the changes as crucial to the longevity of the sport.
Around 750 million people watch F1 over the course of a season, a figure she cites as being a “great motivation” in keeping up the momentum to make racing more competitive through the greater use of data.
Julie Souza leads sports globally for AWS, driving innovation in data not just in F1 but spectator-led content across the board.
She says she is often asked if the influx of new information is going to ruin fans’ enjoyment of what they’re watching.
However, she says it’s all about spectators watching sport the way they want to watch it and personalising the experience as much as possible.
“It’s very easy for people to go, gosh, this is going to make it too heavy for me,” she says with regard to the recent statistical influx.
“However, if we’re talking about this data in a way that alienates, we’re doing it wrong.
“The whole point is for this information to make people better understand what they’re seeing and enhance their appreciation of the exceptional abilities of the people involved.”
The next round of the F1 championship takes place on June 1 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain.
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
The years Ramadan fell in May
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
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If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Seattle from Dh5,555 return, including taxes.
The car
Hertz offers compact car rental from about $300 (Dh1,100) per week, including taxes. Emirates Skywards members can earn points on their car hire through Hertz.
The national park
Entry to Mount Rainier National Park costs $30 for one vehicle and passengers for up to seven days. Accommodation can be booked through mtrainierguestservices.com. Prices vary according to season. Rooms at the Holiday Inn Yakima cost from $125 per night, excluding breakfast.
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, semi-final result:
Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona
Liverpool win 4-3 on aggregate
Champions Legaue final: June 1, Madrid
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
'Ghostbusters: From Beyond'
Director: Jason Reitman
Starring: Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace
Rating: 2/5
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The years Ramadan fell in May
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
Schedule:
Sept 15: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka (Dubai)
Sept 16: Pakistan v Qualifier (Dubai)
Sept 17: Sri Lanka v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 18: India v Qualifier (Dubai)
Sept 19: India v Pakistan (Dubai)
Sept 20: Bangladesh v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi) Super Four
Sept 21: Group A Winner v Group B Runner-up (Dubai)
Sept 21: Group B Winner v Group A Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 23: Group A Winner v Group A Runner-up (Dubai)
Sept 23: Group B Winner v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 25: Group A Winner v Group B Winner (Dubai)
Sept 26: Group A Runner-up v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 28: Final (Dubai)
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