Formula 1’s Data Explosion: The Petabyte Race Weekend Is Not Far Off

InnovationConsumer TechFormula 1’s Data Explosion: The Petabyte Race Weekend Is Not Far OffByJohn Koetsier,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Journalist, analyst, author, podcaster.Follow AuthorMay 23, 2026, 11:26am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Formula 1 data use and consumption has exploded in the past two years. (Photo by Mario Renzi - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)Formula 1 via Getty ImagesImagine streaming 130 million songs in a single weekend. Or binge-watching 162,500 hours of 4K Netflix. Or reading the entire Library of Congress, 32 times over, in just three days. That’s basically the equivalent of how much data Formula 1 moves every single race weekend.Two years ago, Formula 1 streamed roughly 500 terabytes of data between its trackside technical center and its UK broadcast hub on race weekends. Today that number is up to 650 terabytes: a 30% jump in just 24 months, and a signal that maybe the world’s most data-intensive sport is racing toward a future where artificial intelligence, edge computing, and real-time telemetry are essentially omnipresent. I recently had the opportunity to chat with Chris Roberts, who leads F1’s IT team, and Milo Speranzo of Lenovo, F1’s global technology partner, to talk about where all those extra bytes are coming from, and where they're going.“We are not nice people,” Roberts said jokingly when I asked him about the challenge of putting together the hardware and software that helps F1 manage and broadcast races. Speranzo laughed and disagreed.But it’s a formidable data challenge.The race cars that rocket around a Formula 1 track at over 200 miles per hour might look like the world’s fastest racing machines on wheels, and they are. But under the surface, they’re really data-spawning monsters. Each of the 22 cars on a 2026 Formula 1 grid carries 300 sensors that generate mo...