How Scuderia Ferrari Uses IBM watsonx to Transform the Fan Experience

Scuderia Ferrari HP, the most successful team in Formula 1 history with 16 Constructors' Championships and 15 Drivers' Championships, faced a unique challenge in engaging its 396 million global fans. The team's legendary fan base, known as the Tifosi, spans multiple generations — from lifelong devotees to digitally native newcomers discovering F1 through social media and streaming platforms. Many new fans lacked deep understanding of the sport, while existing fans craved more interactive and personalized experiences beyond the team's editorial-focused app.

IBM Consulting partnered with Ferrari to completely reimagine their mobile app using IBM Design Thinking methodology and the full IBM watsonx AI platform. The solution combined IBM watsonx.data to unify data across racing, merchandise, and luxury car brand domains, while IBM watsonx.ai built generative AI models that produce dynamic race summaries by analyzing live telemetry and historical data. IBM Granite foundation models generated rich historical insights seamlessly embedded within race content.

The technical architecture leveraged a hybrid cloud approach incorporating AWS, Red Hat OpenShift, and serverless components. IBM Instana provided real-time monitoring for uptime and reliability, while IBM watsonx.governance protected Ferrari's brand identity by governing AI model outputs including conversational tone. IBM watsonx Code Assistant accelerated development cycles through AI-assisted coding.

The revamped app launched at the Miami Grand Prix in May 2025 with features including AI-generated race summaries with customizable tone, interactive fastest lap visualizations, lap-by-lap position tracking, tire strategy details, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, daily fan polls, and integrated merchandise access via Salesforce. The results were immediate — daily active users doubled and average time spent in-app increased by 35%, validating the AI-driven approach to fan engagement at the highest level of motorsport.