Case Study: McLaren Racing achieves faster, data-driven aerodynamic gains with Dell Technologies

Data-driven innovation starts at racing’s edge to improve race car aerodynamics — and speed

McLaren, the Formula 1 racing team, faced the challenge of extracting tiny aerodynamic gains under new spending and wind-tunnel time caps while managing cars that stream massive telemetry. To meet this need, McLaren implemented end-to-end IT solutions from Dell Technologies, including trackside edge infrastructure and high-performance computing (HPC) at its U.K. headquarters, to securely capture and analyze real-time vehicle data.

Dell Technologies tied McLaren’s trackside edge data center to its HPC and cloud workflows, enabling data-driven 3D digital twins, CFD simulations, and rapid 3D-printed prototyping in a closed-loop process. The Dell Technologies deployment took weeks instead of the typical six to nine months, supports cars streaming as many as 100,000 data points per second, enables continuous prototyping (about every 20 minutes), and accelerated aerodynamic improvements that boost on-track performance while addressing testing and budget restrictions.

McLaren

Edward Green

Head of Commercial Technology