IBM and Ferrari add AI race timeline and pitstop game to fan app
IBM and Scuderia Ferrari HP have added new AI-powered features to the Scuderia Ferrari mobile app as Formula 1 returns to the Circuit of the Americas in Austin for the United States Grand Prix. The additions include a Race Timeline, wider Race Summaries and a Pitstop Reaction Game, built with IBM Bob and IBM Consulting Advantage.
- IBM and Scuderia Ferrari HP added a Race Timeline, expanded Race Summaries and a Pitstop Reaction Game to the Ferrari app.
- Race Summaries now cover practice, sprint, qualifying and race day, generated by AI agents built with IBM watsonx.
- A new Tifosi Hub will showcase six-word fan stories about the team.
- IBM says its tools increased productivity by 30% in the app's product development lifecycle.
- Since the May 2025 relaunch, IBM reports a 35% rise in cumulative downloads and a 36% rise in Average Monthly Active Users in the first year.
What is new in the Ferrari app
The new Race Timeline follows the key moments of each session as they happen, in a scrollable visual format. According to IBM, it covers events such as a driver pitting or setting the fastest lap, a change in the weather or a Virtual Safety Car being called.
Race Summaries, which give recaps of the Scuderia Ferrari HP team's performance, now cover all sessions: practice, sprint, qualifying and race day. AI agents built with IBM watsonx turn complex race data and strategic insights from the team's drivers and team principal into narratives within just minutes of the end of each session, the company says.
In the Game Center, the Pitstop Reaction Game asks fans to pick the right tire in the quickest time. Points go onto a global leaderboard, so users can compare themselves with other Tifosi. Quizzes and predictor leagues, which fans can play with friends, sit alongside it.
Stories from fans beyond race weekends
The update also targets the time between races. Fans can now share six-word stories about what the team means to them. Scuderia Ferrari HP will showcase them in the new Tifosi Hub, a section of the app dedicated to personal stories from fans.
IBM and Ferrari say the app is meant to be a home for the team's global community of nearly 400 million Tifosi.
Lorenzo Giorgetti, Chief Racing Revenue Officer at Scuderia Ferrari HP, said the Automated Race Timeline "gives Tifosi a clearer view of how each session develops", while the Pitstop Reaction Game lets them "experience some of the speed and pressure behind a critical race decision."
IBM's role and the figures behind the app
IBM is Scuderia Ferrari HP's Official Fan Engagement and Data Analytics Partner and works with the team to develop the app, with watsonx AI at its core. According to IBM, it deployed 70+ reusable AI skills and 30+ agents through IBM Bob and IBM Consulting Advantage, which increased productivity by 30% across the product development lifecycle of the app. The company notes this was measured during the Monza Grand Prix and Madrid Grand Prix.
IBM also reported internal measurements for the first year after the app's relaunch in May 2025:
- a 35% increase in cumulative downloads
- a 36% increase in Average Monthly Active Users
- a 35% lift in Engaged Sessions
Jonathan Adashek, Senior Vice President and Chief Global Affairs Officer at IBM, said the technology behind the app is "the same IBM watsonx technology that is transforming digital operations for the world's leading enterprises."
What it means for fans
For users, the update brings faster and broader coverage of each session, plus more interactive options such as the reaction game, leaderboards and predictor leagues. The redesigned Scuderia Ferrari app is available on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. For IBM, the app serves as a showcase for its watsonx technology and development tools in a consumer setting, with the company's own figures pointing to productivity and engagement gains.
