Scuderia Ferrari HP taps IBM to overhaul its fan app with AI

Scuderia Ferrari HP has partnered with IBM to overhaul its official fan app, aiming to deepen fan engagement through AI-driven storytelling and personalization. To lead this initiative, the team appointed Stefano Pallard as head of fan development, a move designed to help the team expand beyond standard social media strategies. While many of the 11 teams in Formula One rely on general social media or official F1 platforms, Ferrari is among the few to maintain a standalone fan app strategy.

The app overhaul focuses on storytelling, using AI to turn complex race data into accessible content for fans. According to Kameryn Stanhouse, IBM’s Vice President of Sports and Entertainment Partnerships, engagement data for the Ferrari app has increased by 62% over race weekends since the partnership began. The team is using AI to help fans feel connected to the technical side of the sport. As Stanhouse noted, “There are two drivers, but did you know it takes 24 people working simultaneously in two seconds to change a tire?” To achieve this, the team uses AI to analyze engagement signals in the app, such as which content people like to read and the sentiment of the messages fans send. According to Pallard, this data helps the team understand what resonates most with the Tifosi—the traditional nickname for Ferrari fans—and directly informs how they shape their storytelling and deliver content.

This initiative reflects a broader trend in F1, where teams are leveraging tech partnerships to capitalize on a rapidly diversifying global fanbase. The sport is slowly starting to capitalize on this growing global fandom, which has expanded significantly in the U.S. following the popularity of “Drive to Survive,” the Netflix documentary series about F1. According to stats released by F1 last year, 75% of new fans are women, many of whom are Gen Z—a demographic shift compared to five years ago. This new audience is also supported by the F1 Academy, an all-female racing series. To build long-term loyalty among these diverse fans, teams are increasingly prioritizing data-backed personalization. Pallard noted that the vision for the next five years is to make every fan feel like the experience was built for them, whether they have been loyal to the team for 30 years or 30 days.

Why it matters

This partnership illustrates how F1 teams are moving beyond simple sponsorship to leverage enterprise AI for direct consumer engagement, aiming to capture a rapidly diversifying global audience.