Formula One is fast paced and dynamic and one of the most technologically advanced sports in the world. A race team must build a workforce full of extraordinary talent and support that talent with powerful digital tools as they traverse the globe. As the world becomes more global and digitally focused, Citrix provides Aston Martin Red Bull Racing with the technology to adapt and evolve from anywhere at a moment’s notice to drive on-track performance.
Getting insight into the behind the scenes of a Formula One team is a certain way to better understand their business and how Citrix supports it. Katie Galeotti started her tenure with the team more than 15 years ago, when she began in the aerodynamic department, eventually moving into her current role as Senior Aerodynamics Performance Engineer. Her responsibilities vary throughout the calendar year, depending on whether the team is in development and testing season or in the crux of a crucial race weekend. She links the aerodynamics development team and the Aston Martin Red Bull Racing’s aero department to the race engineers and drivers at the track.
“The most exciting part of my job is analyzing the live data from the car, collating this with the driver and race engineer feedback trackside, and working with my team to decipher this knowledge and then decide what changes we need to make to the car to ultimately improve car performance on track,” Galeotti said. “It’s a lot of teamwork. We have one foot in the development area of the team, having to be aware of the wind tunnel and CFD developments, but we also focus on what is happening to the car on track. The driver feedback can be amazing, especially when it’s what we were expecting — it validates the hard work we are doing.”
The responsibilities of an aerodynamicist before a race weekend are a bit more straightforward. Large amounts of data from the wind tunnel and CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) are pulled, and the team’s aero department compile a list of anticipated changes on the car based on the characteristics of the relevant race circuit. They develop a recommendation that provides an initial car setup for a race weekend.
Race weekend, however, is an ever-changing puzzle. A set of recommendations and decisions based on live data come off the car and combine with both driver and race engineering feedback loops. The heaviest workload is typically on Fridays during free practice. This is when large amounts of car data is extracted from many on-car sensors. The data is digested and analyzed, and, based on the outcomes, the aero team recommends an optimized car setup. “It’s a constant process of analysis, listening, adjusting, and reacting to different requirements,” Galeotti said.
Katie’s role is unique because she can do her job successfully anywhere, even if the racetrack is on the other side of the world.
“Citrix technology, coupled with our super-fast AT&T network connection, gives us the possibility of having the data live at a remote location so we can perform just as well at the factory over a race weekend,” she said. “It provides additional tools and resources that also aren’t at the racetrack, from more monitors in our workspace to visually see and analyze the data to organizing CFD or wind tunnel tests to react to a specific issue on track. It allows me to have an eye on the car running on track and an eye on more specific data analysis which allows us to put together the best car for the race.”
Digital workspace solutions provided by Citrix at the team’s HQ save Aston Martin Red Bull Racing time and valuable resources and, for any factory-based team member, make a huge difference in productivity.
“Citrix technology helps to keep a live link to the track and allows us to see all the necessary data to make crucial decisions as quickly as possible,” she said. “Viewing and having the ability to quickly analyze data — it’s the most important thing to help the drivers have success on track.”
The remote access, she said, is like having her eyes trackside, even though she’s actually at the factory.
Citrix technology also enables the traveling race team to have a mobile workspace that provides critical, on-demand access to necessary data and tools wherever they are in the world.
“Citrix is reimagining the workspace for us,” says Christian Horner, Team Principal, Aston Martin Red Bull Racing. “So, whether that’s track side, whether that’s in the garage, whether it’s back in the factory, it’s playing a key role in how we manage the vast amount of data that we generate.”
In these uncertain times, the ability to work seamlessly and efficiently from a remote location is even more important than ever. Aston Martin Red Bull Racing continues to push the boundaries by doing just this, and they are collaborating with Citrix to ensure their entire workforce are equipped to unlock innovation and be productive anytime, anywhere.
