Red Bull has by far been the most superior team on the grid this season. Aided by the efforts of reigning F1 world champion Max Verstappen, teammate Sergio Perez and a reliable support staff, the team has won all the twelve races this term.
The team now looks to up its game even further as chief designer Craig Skinner has confessed that they no longer depend solely on individuals for sustained prosperity in the future and are relying on Artificial Intelligence (AI) to ensure that they are successful for years to come.
This will naturally mean that there will be a diminished importance placed on individuals in future years as the team looks to make the most of technological advancements.
F1 has evolved drastically as a sport in the last few years, with teams spending as much, if not more, time on computers and AI compared to manual work in the garages.
It has already been observed that finding out chinks in one’s armour can be observed from simulators and it isn’t hard to imagine that AI will find a permanent place in F1 owing to increased competition and ever-changing regulations.
Red Bull has a partnership with Oracle, famed for being the third-largest software company in the world.
With its stronghold in the tech field, Red Bull is keen to use all the technology at its disposal.
Skinner claimed that the team had already started to use AI with respect to development of its car.
The 54-year-old knows just how important technology has been when it comes to producing a car that is clearly ahead of its compeition in terms of aerodynamics and overall design.
“Ultimately, the input has to come from the staff. What makes a car fast and what do you want to achieve with aerodynamics? So yes, we do use it and we’re looking into it,” Skinner said.
“But ultimately it comes down to how much you understand the problem in the first place.”
While Red Bull has relied on AI to accentuate its rise to the top, the team also understands that the right questions have to be asked.
This makes human intervention critical and engineers also need to have a clear understanding of the potential and limitations of AI.
While AI has undoubtedly been a great asset for Red Bull so far, Skinner believes that its main shortcoming is its inability to find problems on its own.
Red Bull is still in the hunt to become the first team to win all races in a season and based on the type of form Verstappen has shown coupled with Red Bull’s overall superiority on the track, it is a more than likely outcome come the end of the season.
How many races do you think Verstappen will end up winning this year? Let us know in the comments.
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