FIA Partners with AWS for AI to Close F1 Loopholes and Strengthen Regulations

FIA Names AWS Official AI and Cloud Partner

The FIA, Formula 1's governing body, announced Wednesday that Amazon Web Services (AWS) has become its official partner for AI, cloud computing, machine learning, and cloud infrastructure1

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. This FIA and AWS partnership extends beyond Formula 1 to cover every level of motor sport, from club racing to world championships. The deal joins AWS's separate partnership with the F1 organization that began in 2018, positioning the company as a central technology provider across the sport's ecosystem.

"As engineers, (AI) is among the top five things of most interest for everyone right now. (And) it's probably the top one," Dominic Harlow, the FIA's single-seater deputy technical director, told select reporters in Austin1

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. AWS also joins the FIA Global Partner Programme, becoming an official partner of the annual FIA Awards and the FIA Sustainable Innovation Series2

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Accelerating Formula 1 Regulations Through Aerodynamic Simulations

The FIA has identified car design rules as a critical area where AI in motor sport can deliver immediate impact. AWS has already worked with the F1 organization to help shape car design rules for the 2022 and 2026 regulation cycles using Computer-Aided Design (CAD) models and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) for virtual airflow simulations1

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. The partnership gives the FIA access to newer, more powerful hardware while reducing costs.

"What AWS allows the FIA to do is run multiple thousands of simulations in parallel and come to the conclusion of 'this tweak needs to happen in order for this outcome to be true.' That, instead of a period of months, can happen in hours," Michael Aghataher, AWS's head of motorsport, explained1

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. This acceleration matters because the FIA's technical department competes against larger staff groups at every team, all searching for loopholes in the regulations.

Closing Loopholes Before Teams Exploit Them

With access to more powerful systems, the FIA can run extra simulations with greater accuracy, boosting the robustness of Formula 1 regulations around car design. All 11 F1 teams work to make their designs conform to the wording of the rules while finding ways to work around them for a speed advantage. "In F1 you have to run to stand still," Harlow said. "We're pushing as hard as we can in the same direction to do whatever we can to do the best job with the regulations. I'm sure the teams will push to find as many opportunities in there as they can"1

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Harlow explained that AI could "shortcut the simulations" in CFD and CAD processes, allowing designers "to get more productivity out of the whole process for less computing time, less engineering time, less energy consumption, and less money"1

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. The FIA already runs its aerodynamic simulations on AWS computers, letting engineers test how air moves around a car without building physical parts2

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Processing 24 Million Data Points Per Race

The FIA will also deploy AI for data processing during races. Each F1 car carries 300 sensors that provide 1.1 million data points per second, per car, per race—totaling 24 million data points every race1

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. The FIA monitors metrics covering safety, engine performance, and battery energy management to ensure compliance with sustainability regulations.

"With a lot of the data that's incoming to us, we can process more quickly using AI. For trend monitoring—spotting patterns basically—is one of the things it's good at," Harlow said1

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. This capability becomes critical as motor sport generates increasingly complex data streams that human officials cannot process in real time.

Improving Track-Limit Policing and Race Operations

The FIA has long identified AI as an effective tool for improving track-limit policing during races. Drivers must keep their cars within the white lines that define the track edge and face penalties for repeatedly exceeding them. With 22 cars on track simultaneously, assessing each incident and deciding on penalties takes considerable time for race control officials1

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The speed of the cars and width of the lines make judging track limits tricky, leading to marginal calls that can affect race outcomes. AI-powered systems can analyze video feeds and telemetry data faster than human officials, flagging potential violations for review.

Expanding Digital Licensing Platform Across Motor Sport

The partnership builds on the FIA's Digital Licensing Platform, which AWS developed and hosts. Launched in 2025, the platform lets drivers, officials, and volunteers apply for motor sport licences online while national sporting authorities (ASNs) manage them2

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. The platform is now reaching more ASNs with support for additional languages, links to FIA University, and licence renewals. Next, the FIA plans to add event management and other features for volunteers and officials.

"We can make it simpler for drivers, officials and volunteers to take part," said Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of the FIA2

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. More of the FIA's business applications and hosted services will move to AWS over the coming years, supporting the organization's goal of doubling the number of people who participate in motor sport.

"Motor sport is one of the most demanding and data-rich environments in the world," said Kristin Shaff, Global Director of Events, Sports and Entertainment at AWS2

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. The partnership positions AWS to provide the infrastructure needed to manage this complexity across all levels of competition.