The world of motorsports has a massive global fan base, led by Formula One, NASCAR and MotoGP. That explains why many newcomer racing series continue to enter the market, trying to capture fans with digital experiences. One of the more successful in recent years is Formula E.
The electric racing series is now in its 11th year, bringing races downtown or to new global destinations to capture a growing army of fans. And like any sports fans, they love data and statistics, and the stories behind the headlines.
Formula E has a strong online presence to engage and attract fans. Most notably, during the first 8 seasons, they could vote to provide some drivers with extra electrical power during a race, something unique in sports interactivity.
New data for sports nerds
All sports continue to innovate with technology playing a key role, from F1’s AWS-powered track action insights to IBM’s tennis fan experiences.
For Formula E fans, the new Infosys-powered Stats Centre provides more insights and creates storytelling from complex race data. It adds performance breakdowns, track details, real-time and historical race insights in an interactive format, plus dynamic statistics to highlight the finer details within a race.
There’s also an AI-powered companion, driven by Infosys Topaz, to help fans follow their favorite teams, drivers and key race moments. The Stats Centre showcases how AI can deepen fan engagement. It also gives fans more to share on social media with others, helping widen appreciation for the sport.
Behind the scenes, Infosys spearheaded a migration of Formula E’s central datalake to Google Cloud, establishing a secure and scalable architecture to support marketing, business intelligence, and sporting operations for Formula E.
Let Formula E’s racing do the talking
With many fans multi-screening sports, especially during boring events like the recent Japanese F1 procession, these apps can keep fans watching and in tune with their favourite drivers down the grid who might not get much air time.
“Fans are at the heart of what we do, and we’re thrilled to offer them a new and engaging way to connect with the sport. As our first technical partnership with Infosys, we’re showcasing how innovation and technology can elevate the experience for everyone who loves Formula E, by making race data more accessible and easier to understand.” Says Jeff Dodds, CEO of Formula E, “Fans will be able to follow their favorite driver and team with in-depth insights and track their performance over the seasons ahead.”
“Our partnership with Formula E proves how technology can revolutionize fan engagement. The AI-powered Stats Centre, fueled by Infosys Topaz, transforms raw data into compelling narratives, offering fans an immersive journey through driver and team performance, celebrating key milestones and unlocking compelling stories. From dynamic stat cards that adapt to the race timeline to an AI companion that prompts engaging questions, we’re supercharging the Formula E fan experience, making its rich history, and exciting present more accessible and engaging, ultimately raising the bar for digital fan engagement.” said Sumit Virmani, EVP & global CMO at Infosys.
Formula E’s 11th season resumes in Miami this weekend at the Homestead circuit, with Nissan’s Oliver Roland leading the way in the standings from McLaren’s Taylor Barnard after four rounds.