As AWS announce another six more in-race stats to display on screen for the broadcast feed of Formula 1, are they taking the magic away from racing?

We can’t avoid the fact that sports are data-led industries in the modern day. Where on a football pitch it used to be enough to mark your man and run up and down the line, today each match comes with a statistical history of players and teams methods, to help select the perfect formations, player match, and strategy.

Should you think that’s intense, consider how data reliant Formula 1 is today. In a sport that every degree of aerodynamic angle and turn of the wheel is measured through sensors in the car and around the track, this data is fed back to teams and data centres live. This data is interpreted and returned back to engineers and strategists to get the most out of the car and driver. It is not unusual to hear drivers interacting with engineers during the race with advice on how to trim even one thousandth of a second off the lap time.

Amazon’s AWS service has partnered with Formula 1 in recent years, and this data is now making its way into the fan experience. As seen above, when there is a chase between drivers preparing to do battle for position, they are now showing statistics on how fast Driver B with catch Driver A, using average lap time data. In other screens they compare rivals going through the speed tracks, or report tire wear and tire temperatures as the race goes on.

There is an angle in which it’s clear they are showing off the data they are collecting, whilst trying to make the racing clearer to the viewers. However this is a sport where criticism is given for racing being too predictable. Surely telling the viewer when the drivers will catch each other, and where/when they pass is simply making even more predictable?

Maybe instead of using raw data interpreted live, Formula 1 can focus on making their broadcasts more exciting. They can use facts, past examples, and basic interpretation to keep the reporting live and exciting, and leaving a little “what if” out there for the fans. This is surely better than the current mix of sensationalism and on screen statistics that are not offering consistent messaging for the fans.

How much data is too much data? I think we’ve reached a crossing point.