The need for speed
An exciting race saw the Silver Arrows battle through the 52 lap charge at Silverstone last weekend, going head to head in that brotherly team rivalry that always keeps us on the edge of our seats. The pair led the race but felt the pressure from the young and hungry Leclerc and the Red Bull team hot on their tails, waiting for any chance to claw back a second’s advantage.
This is what truly makes the difference in F1 racing, where the currency of time is everything! Not only do the seconds count, but the milliseconds, and the hundredth of a millisecond means everything. The difference between Bottas and Hamilton alone in qualifying was 0.006s, clearly demonstrating that time really matters. The hairline gaps between tyres and those instant adjustments in the pit that can cost you the difference between winning or losing. This weekends race saw Red Bull smash the world record for the fastest pit stop time with 1.91 seconds in the box, with Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsports fastest pit stop at only 2.47 seconds from the team. In the high-speed world of F1 that 0.56 seconds can make all the difference when exiting the pit.
In the thick of it
Four Natilik team members were fortunate enough to be invited by our partner, Pure Storage, to spend the day at Silverstone with the Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport team, seeing just how important the role of the Data Centre is to the world of F1. Often described as giving them the ‘unfair advantage’, the Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport team truly are reaping the benefits of a flash DC solution from Pure Storage!
A building block of the pit- the practicalities of Pure Storage
A bright orange glow from the Pure Storage logo greets you as you enter the pit, with the flash drives built into the wall holding up the pit team digitally, metaphorically and physically. The pit is pristine with even the resin floor having been freshly laid 2 days before, ensuring the optimum working conditions for the team.
Many of the tracks pose their own unique logistical challenges, be it the lack of space in Monaco, the heat of Abu Dhabi or the dust in Bahrain. All these conditions need to be considered when using the tools that support the team, including the Data Centre (DC). This is where Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport turned to the resilience of a Pure Storage solution. With its robust and reliable design, the Pure Storage DC delivers a ‘plug in and go’ level of simplicity, cutting down on all-important space and weight by replacing the traditional spinning disk hardware with a streamlined compact flash drive.
So, what does that mean to Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport? It means a day 1 ROI on logistical shipping costs across 200 countries though out the year. It also means that with the elimination of the spinning disk, the risk of sand and carbon fibre dust particles disrupting and damaging the DC is removed. The structural integrity of the unit is also very important when moving, loading and unloading the DC. Regardless of whether it’s being transported by road, air or sea, the smaller the unit the less vehicles are required to move the team from race to race, reducing costs and the impact to the environment. Also, enabling them to tear down their Pure Storage kit in just six hours and providing them with a much faster alternative than what they previously had.
The pit of any F1 team is a noisy place and although it is said that it is now the quietest the sport has ever been, you cannot escape the level of noise that comes with the power and speed at which the mechanics have to work. If you coupled this with the noise of a conventional data centre and its required industrial air conditioning units, the sound levels would be unbearable. This relative silent approach is welcomed for those intricate moments of concentration required during pit stops and watching the drivers weave through Brooklands turn 6.
Proud to be Pure
It was very clear to see that Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport were proud of the infrastructure they have built and their calculated choices with Pure Storage. A wonderful partnership illustrating how technology is transforming the Motor Sport industry as we watch Toto Wolff’s team go from strength to strength. Keep your eyes peeled for our next blog, where we will delve deeper into how Pure Storage delivers on the team’s data requirements (oh, and we might have had the chance to have a quick chat with Esteban Ocon too!)
If you’re interested in finding out more about the Pure Storage portfolio then contact us to hear back from one of our NSDC specialists!
Hayley Knott, Marketing Manager
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