SAP and Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team Join Forces to Drive Efficiency On and Off Racetrack

As the UAE prepares to host the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) has announced a multiyear partnership with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team starting in 2024.

As an Official Team Partner, SAP is teaming up with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team to accelerate operational efficiency and unlock new data insights to deliver performance gains.

SAP S/4HANA Cloud, the private edition, serves as the technology foundation for the team, enabling them to explore how artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud solutions from SAP can help inform and predict decisions, optimise resources and future-proof their IT infrastructure.

Efficiency is the cornerstone of success in Formula One. Therefore, mastering the cost-cap challenge and optimising the team’s complex supply chain are two focus areas for this partnership. Formula One’s cost cap restricts how much teams can spend each season, with severe penalties if exceeded.

The Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team plans to navigate this complex course using the SAP S/4HANA Finance solution to allocate, save and use resources more efficiently. With embedded SAP Business AI technology, the team can forecast costs, predict final budget needs, and optimise the supply chain and stocked items.

To run its state-of-the-art operation, the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team is looking forward to leveraging SAP S/4HANA Cloud, a private edition, for a secure and future-proof cloud environment.

The team can also use SAP Build solutions and SAP Business Technology Platform to implement a transparent, intelligent enterprise architecture – bringing together a single view of data and systems from various sources across the organisation.

Doing so can lead to shorter lead times for critical car components, helping ensure a seamless flow of parts during race weekends.

“Formula One is one of the most technologically innovative sports in the world, where incremental gains yield significant results. Given the extreme conditions under which Formula One teams operate, motorsports provide a global platform to showcase skill and engineering excellence,” said Julia White, member of the Executive Board of SAP SE and chief marketing and solutions officer. “But a lot is happening behind the scenes beyond the race day performance. SAP is proud to partner with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team to ensure its operations are as fine-tuned as its cars.”   

This partnership can potentially create a new blueprint for the automotive industry. Formula One is where the latest innovations for the automotive sector are invented and premiered.

Together, SAP and the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team will deliver innovations backed by Formula One insights that will go on to serve and shape the businesses of other SAP customers.

“We are delighted to announce SAP as an Official Team Partner of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team,” said Toto Wolff, CEO and Team Principal of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team. “We have a shared heritage and commitment to innovation and improvement, which will meaningfully contribute to our on-track performance. SAP is a global leader in its field, and we could not think of a better partner to help us improve our efficiencies in 2024 and beyond.”