How Dell’s AI Keeps McLaren Racing Ahead

Just milliseconds can come between success and failure in a sport as fast-paced as F1, meaning the smallest advantage can transform a race.

One way to gain that edge is data.

McLaren Racing has announced that it is extending its partnership with Dell Technologies to engineer and operate both its physical and digital performance initiatives.

The partnership between the pair goes back as far as 2018 and integrates Dell’s high-performance technologies into McLaren’s engineering workflows, race operations and esports activities.

By bringing together cutting-edge hardware and the relentless pace of competition, Dell is providing McLaren with the infrastructure it needs to manage data, drive precision decision-making and accelerate innovation across its global teams.

“Our work with Dell Technologies has become a natural part of how we operate as a Formula 1 team,” says Zak Brown, Chief Executive Officer, McLaren Racing.

“Their support strengthens the way we work across the organisation, helping us stay agile and competitive in a sport where details matter. 

“Extending this partnership reflects the confidence we have in what we can achieve together.”

Broadening McLaren’s AI-driven ecosystem with Dell

For McLaren’s F1 team, the data science challenge is as big as its mechanical hurdles.

Each race weekend alone generates up to 1.5TB of information, from tyre telemetry to aerodynamics data. 

With Dell’s AI Factory – including PowerEdge servers and a full suite of AI capabilities – McLaren transforms this data into insight in real time, enabling simulation, digital-twin modelling and scenario planning before the next turn, pit stop or strategy call.

But it's Dell’s scalable storage and compute infrastructure that truly sits at the heart of McLaren’s digital performance platform.

Dell PowerStore and PowerScale provide the backbone for Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) workloads and intricate design modelling, allowing the team to iterate car upgrades with agility throughout the season. 

This mix of power, performance and scalability gives McLaren's engineers the ability to collaborate globally and adapt rapidly to Formula 1’s evolving technical demands.

The role of technology partnerships in motorsport

For Dell Technologies, this partnership represents more than just branding on a car.

By working with McLaren, the Texas-based firm hopes to prove how enterprise infrastructure can translate to elite performance environments. 

Gerri Tunnell, Chief Marketing Officer at Dell Technologies, says: “The relationship between Dell Technologies and McLaren Racing showcases what’s possible when two organisations are dedicated to pushing boundaries. Dell’s solutions are a catalyst for human progress.

“With McLaren, we’re demonstrating how the combination of powerful technology and human ingenuity can deliver real competitive advantages in high-stakes environments – an approach that inspires innovation across industries worldwide.”

The partnership also speaks to a key trend across enterprise technology: the application of high-performance computing, AI-driven analytics and digital collaboration tools in sectors that demand constant iteration, like sport and media.

Also on the track, Microsoft has partnered with Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 to put Azure AI and cloud at the centre of 2026 racing performance, while Google Cloud’s multi-year partnership with Formula E is helping to improve performance on and off the track.

When it comes to broadcasting, Tata Communications’ technology now reaches more than two billion fans with millisecond precision.

In McLaren’s case, Dell’s ecosystem not only benefits the fast-moving world of Formula 1, but also the growing domain of virtual racing, where the McLaren F1 Sim Racing Team relies on Dell’s hardware for esports competition.

The renewal of Dell and McLaren’s partnership epitomises how Dell is positioning its AI and data infrastructure solutions as enablers for speed, precision and transformation.

And this doesn't just apply to McLaren, but any organisation chasing performance at scale.

By combining hardware, software and human expertise, continuous improvement – from the race track to the enterprise boardroom – is sure to follow.