‘Tech at the sharp end of racing’
Computer Weekly goes trackside with Freshworks and McLaren Formula 1 team at the Belgian Grand Prix
In motorsport—and especially in Formula 1—racing success hinges on smart strategy and great technology. Computer Weekly managing editor Cliff Saran saw that in action while joining McLaren Racing’s Director of Business Technology Dan Keyworth and Freshworks Chief Customer and Marketing Officer Mika Yamamoto at the recent Belgian Grand Prix.
McLaren’s Keyworth is at the center of the action, “running the tech at the sharp end of racing,” Saran writes in a story on the partnership between Freshworks and the McLaren Formula 1 team. It puts a special focus on the role of IT in McLaren’s on-track success.
“IT is foundational at McLaren Racing, and, as a business, it has 1,400 employees globally. The IT must keep pace with the innovation being made to the race cars and the IT during the F1 season. This is a very different situation to many businesses that are more risk-adverse regarding the deployment of technology changes during a critical business process.”
That mindset is critical to the team’s ability to move fast and find an advantage, as Keyworth notes:
“We like to move at the same pace as we change the Formula 1 car. We need to make sure we’re giving people a solid IT service. Every time that we lose a second in a technology problem, there’s potentially an impact on the lap time, so our ability to respond, to react and to spot trends is a big thing for us.”
