Pedal to the Metal - Red Bull Racing in the Fast Lane with AT&T

SINGAPORE, Sept. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- On the eve of the Singapore Grand Prix Red Bull Racing has revealed that the team is already seeing the benefits of using AT&T's* high speed global network following its agreement appointing AT&T as an official technical supplier earlier this year.

In a sport where hundredths of a second matter, Red Bull Racing is making full use of the increased bandwidth AT&T is providing via its global managed network around the world to speed up the ability to share data between the pit lane and the team factory in Milton Keynes in the UK, enhancing collaboration. The team is seeing improved data transfer times and increased flexibility to process and manage data during race weekends, benefits that are contributing directly to the team's performance on track.

Talking about the enhanced connectivity provided by AT&T, Christian Horner, Team Principal Red Bull Racing, said:

"With the enforcement of garage curfews from 2011, there is now an even greater pressure to analyse performance data and provide answers back to the track within the time limits imposed by the regulations.

"Increased network performance and stability ensures greater volumes of data can be gathered from the car and transferred back to the factory for analysis. In some cases we can make use of specialist knowledge, for instance, by consulting the designer of the parts under test. It offers greater opportunity to perform more detailed analysis and part-to-part comparisons which ultimately results in a more optimum car setup and configuration during the race."

Red Bull Racing has been an AT&T customer over a year and in May 2012 the telecoms provider was appointed as an official technical supplier to the team. Under the agreement AT&T is providing Red Bull Racing with advanced network services focused on a high speed bandwidth link between the Red Bull Racing team track-side at grand prix and Formula One testing venues around the world with the racing team's headquarters back in the UK.

Such connectivity is a key tool for the team as it strives to optimize the team's performance in the high pressure environment of grand prix racing and the team is already making full use of AT&T technology in a number of areas.

Matt Cadieux, CIO of Red Bull Racing, highlighted other ways the team is using the improved connectivity from AT&T.

"During a race, aerodynamics analysis is primarily focused on the aerodynamic health of the car, including identifying aero parts which may have become damaged. The increased ability to transfer live telemetry from the car to the factory during a race means more detailed measurements can be taken and corrective measures implemented far more quickly.

"Historical events have shown that, the time taken to collate and send supporting video footage from the factory to the track, in order to discuss a particular racing matter with the stewards, has directly resulted in a loss of championship points. As an example, in Valencia, 2009, Mark Webber was overtaken by Jenson Button, in what was later determined to be an illegal manoeuvre and was then held up as the lead pack pulled away. It took 4-5 laps to send the video evidence, which resulted in the position being given back to Mark, but by which time, it was too late for Mark to catch the lead pack. Had it been 2012, this footage would have been sent within one lap, less than 60 seconds."

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

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