Alteryx > Case Studies > McLaren Racing Leverages IoT for Enhanced Performance and Efficiency

McLaren Racing Leverages IoT for Enhanced Performance and Efficiency

Technology Category

Analytics & Modeling - Predictive Analytics
Sensors - Autonomous Driving Sensors

Applicable Industries

Automotive
Cement

Applicable Functions

Product Research & Development
Quality Assurance

Use Cases

Smart Parking
Vehicle-to-Infrastructure

Services

Testing & Certification

About The Customer

McLaren Racing is a globally recognized sports entity with a successful racing heritage. The company has achieved 20 Formula 1 World Championships, 182 Grand Prix victories, and now employs over 800 people. McLaren's success has been driven by a relentless desire to innovate, and they have consistently led the way in the development of groundbreaking technologies. They engage in strategic technology partnerships to improve performance. The team operates in three key verticals: design, build, and race, all of which are completely data-driven. The company is also subject to a strict budget cap enforced by the governing body for world motor sport, the FIA.

The Challenge

McLaren Racing, a globally recognized sports entity, has a rich heritage of innovation and success in Formula 1 racing. However, with over 20 race weekends in the Formula 1 calendar, each generating 1.5 TB of data, the ability to collect, process, and act on that data is crucial. The challenge was to make data-driven decisions at tremendous speed to improve performance both on and off the track. The team needed to analyze data from 300 telemetry sensors on each race car, generating 100,000 data parameters. Furthermore, the introduction of a strict budget cap of $145M by the governing body for world motor sport, the FIA, added another layer of complexity. The team needed to control operating costs while driving performance enhancements.

The Solution

McLaren Racing turned to the Alteryx Analytics Automation Platform to accelerate strategic decision-making. The platform provided powerful insights across design, build, and race stages, enabling the team to make fast data-led enhancements. It required no prior coding knowledge, allowing teams across the business to use data to make an impact regardless of their coding background. Alteryx automated the collection and processing of varied data sets to accurately track production inventory and performance of parts. It also enabled the team to combine physical, virtual, and race world data to create optimal efficiency and build the most performant race-car possible. Furthermore, the predictive analytics capabilities in Alteryx allowed the team to form a predictive picture on how much attrition they were likely to incur under certain conditions or on certain types of tracks, helping them decide how many spares to manufacture.

Operational Impact

The implementation of Alteryx has brought about significant operational improvements for McLaren Racing. The platform has enabled the team to make data-driven decisions at tremendous speed, improving performance both on and off the track. The ability to analyze data from multiple sources in real-time has provided the team with a competitive edge. The platform's predictive analytics capabilities have also allowed the team to control operating costs and streamline efficiencies, which is crucial when operating under a stringent cost-cap. Furthermore, the Alteryx Platform has created deeper alignments with the business from a regulatory and commercial point of view, strengthening insights operationally in the finance and marketing departments.

Quantitative Benefit