Oracle Red Bull extends AI partnership ahead of 2026

Oracle Red Bull Racing has agreed a multi-year extension and expansion of its title partnership with Oracle, strengthening a technology relationship that will sit at the centre of the team's preparations for Formula One's 2026 regulatory overhaul.

The renewed arrangement ties Oracle's cloud and AI products more closely to Red Bull's trackside decision-making and to development of the Red Bull Ford Powertrains hybrid power unit, due to debut under the new rules.

Formula One's 2026 changes reshape hybrid power, energy deployment and aerodynamic rules. Teams will face a wider range of strategy outcomes across a race weekend, with decisions influenced by energy use, tyre behaviour and shifting on-track conditions.

Strategy automation

An AI-powered strategy agent is expected to appear trackside this season, designed to work alongside race engineers.

The agent will automate data ingestion, analyse live race variables and provide real-time strategy recommendations during a race.

Race strategy in modern F1 already relies on simulation and modelling to anticipate rival behaviour, safety car periods and changes in grip. The 2026 rules add complexity as teams balance energy recovery and deployment within a revised hybrid framework.

The new regulations are expected to require more detailed modelling. Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) will enable deeper, more granular simulations built around the new strategic landscape.

These models cover energy usage, active aero configurations, deployment windows and tyre interactions, spanning thousands of potential race scenarios.

Power unit work

The expanded partnership also covers the Red Bull Ford Powertrains next-generation hybrid engine programme, which has been engineered and tested extensively on OCI.

Red Bull's in-house powertrains operation is a major step for the organisation, which previously relied on external engine suppliers. Building a power unit from the ground up within a four-year window pits the group against established manufacturers with decades of experience.

Under the deal, OCI is being used for computing and simulation during design and validation, with updates and integration work expected to continue on the platform through the season.

Business systems

Beyond performance and race operations, Oracle Red Bull Racing plans to use Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications across finance, HR and marketing. Oracle presented the suite as a route to productivity gains and lower costs, and highlighted planned work on employee and fan engagement initiatives.

The team plans to use the applications for planning, budgeting and payroll. It also intends to deliver personalised content and member rewards, alongside a fan loyalty programme.

The extension comes as F1 teams and suppliers increase investment in data-driven operations. Cloud computing and AI tools are now standard in race preparation, helping teams speed up simulation cycles and improve decision support during grands prix.

Laurent Mekies, CEO and Team Principal at Oracle Red Bull Racing, linked the extended partnership to recent results and to the demands of the next rules cycle.

"Since Oracle became the Team's title partner in 2022, the Team has delivered three Drivers' World Championships, two Constructors' World Championships, and broken many records. Our partnership with Oracle has been hugely successful, and we are delighted that we will continue together into this new era for F1. We rely on Oracle's invaluable expertise to help us understand and optimise countless variables with greater precision and speed than the competition. With Oracle Cloud and Oracle AI, we can adapt quickly, make smarter decisions, and sustain the level of performance required to win Championships, and we look forward to continued success in this multi-year partnership."

Oracle CEO Clay Magouyrk said the work with the team shows how Oracle applies its cloud and AI products in time-sensitive environments.

"Oracle Red Bull Racing relies on Oracle Cloud and Oracle AI to achieve the highest levels of performance and solve some of the most complex, time-critical challenges in the world. The same technologies the Team uses to model strategy, refine its hybrid power unit, and deploy the latest AI innovations trackside are the ones powering transformation for companies across every industry. Whether on the track or in the enterprise, Oracle Cloud and Oracle AI deliver the speed and intelligence needed to win."

The next major on-track milestone will come with the opening race of the 2026 season in Melbourne, when Red Bull Ford Powertrains' new hybrid power unit is scheduled to make its competitive debut under the revised rules.