NetApp Joins Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team to Pioneer Data-Driven Racing Strategy

Editor March 11, 2021

364 2 minutes read

Cloud-led, data-centric software leader’s partnership ushers in new racing era with data fuelling continuous performance improvement

NetApp^® (NASDAQ: NTAP), a global cloud-led, data-centric software company, and Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ today announced a multi-year partnership as the world-famous car company gears up for its return to Formula One competition. After more than 60 years away, the British car brand returns to the F1™ grid, supported by NetApp, with a new edge: an innovative approach to racing utilizing the power of data.

The partnership with NetApp reinforces Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team’s commitment to unlocking the very best of cloud by outfitting the team with world-class data and cloud services. Broad and ambitious in scope, the partnership will focus on maximizing performance both on and off the track.

From trackside to factory to cloud, the data used to inform Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team’s racing strategies will be available in real time on a global scale. With a data fabric powered by NetApp, the team will be able to extract more value from their data to better gauge car performance and address necessary refinements before, during, and after each race.

This data fabric will also help reduce operational complexities, while ensuring data compliance, security, and protection of the team’s intellectual property. By standardizing on NetApp across all platforms, the British racing team will be able to maximize resource utilization and remove inefficient data silos, enabling costly IT investments to be diverted back into car and team development.

“We are thrilled to partner with Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One as it embarks on a highly ambitious data journey in pursuit of greater speed, higher reliability and unmatched efficiency,” said James Whitemore, chief marketing officer at NetApp. “By tapping into our 28 years of data-centric innovation, we are proudly supporting the team as they push the boundaries of continuous performance improvement beyond the finish line.”

“Formula One teams have always been pioneers in analyzing data for a competitive advantage, especially when milliseconds mean the difference between pole position and starting somewhere in the middle of the pack,” said Otmar Szafnauer, chief executive officer and team principal at Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One. “The team’s partnership with NetApp, along with title partner Cognizant, represents a new stage in our journey of continuous improvement. We are excited to introduce NetApp as we strive to make everything we do faster and smarter. By empowering our brilliant team of people with NetApp’s industry-leading data solutions, we are ushering in a new era of racing where we can constantly evolve to be a faster, smarter and more exciting team.”