IBM and Ferrari Partner to Transform F1 Fan Engagement with AI

IBM has partnered with Scuderia Ferrari HP to overhaul the Ferrari fan app using AI, aiming to deepen fan engagement and create personalized experiences. The collaboration, announced two years after IBM identified F1 as a missing piece in its sports partnerships, leverages Ferrari's status as the most successful team in F1 history. Kameryn Stanhouse, IBM's VP of Sports and Entertainment Partnerships, emphasized that the partnership focuses on storytelling through data. Ferrari hired Stefano Pallard as head of fan development to lead the effort. The revamped app now includes Italian language support, AI-written race summaries, games, predictions, an AI companion, and behind-the-scenes content. Engagement has risen 62% on race weekends since IBM's involvement. The app analyzes fan sentiment and content preferences to tailor storytelling. Ferrari is one of few teams with a standalone app strategy, reflecting F1's growing global popularity, especially among new fans—75% of whom are women and Gen Z, according to F1 data. The five-year vision is to make every fan feel the experience is built for them.