IBM and Ferrari Partner to Build AI-Powered Fan Engagement App for Formula One

Ferrari and IBM have partnered to overhaul the Scuderia Ferrari HP fan app, deploying enterprise artificial intelligence tools designed to turn raw race data into personalized content for millions of followers worldwide.

At the center of the collaboration is a push to deepen fan loyalty through storytelling — a goal that led Ferrari to create a new internal role, "head of fan development," filled by Stefano Pallard, who described the challenge as not just reaching fans, but "making each of them feel like we know them."

"That starts with taking the data we get from the track and turning it into content that is easy to follow and engaging," Pallard said.

The revamped app includes AI-written race summaries, behind-the-scenes content about drivers and team staff, prediction features, fan-versus-fan games, and an AI companion that answers questions. The app is also now available in Italian — a notable absence given that Ferrari is an Italian company with a large Italian fanbase.

Kameryn Stanhouse, IBM's Vice President of Sports and Entertainment Partnerships, said the old Ferrari app functioned largely as a race-schedule lookup tool. The new version is designed to retain users throughout the entire calendar year, not just during race weekends — a distinction she drew by comparing it to tournament-based apps like the one IBM built for the Masters, which see concentrated usage spikes followed by extended dormancy.

Engagement data has reflected that shift. Stanhouse cited a 62% increase in engagement over race weekends since IBM became involved, though she did not specify a baseline period or total user figures.

Ferrari uses AI to analyze engagement signals within the app — tracking which content users read and the sentiment of messages they send. "That helps us understand what resonates most with the Tifosi and it directly informs how we shape our storytelling and how we deliver content," Pallard said, using the nickname for Ferrari's fanbase.

The partnership comes as Formula One's global audience has expanded considerably in recent years, driven in part by Netflix's "Drive to Survive" documentary series, which introduced many viewers in the United States to the sport. Formula One released figures showing that 75% of new fans were women, many of them Gen Z, reflecting a shift that app developers took into account when redesigning the product.

Ferrari is among a small number of F1 teams — alongside McLaren and Williams — that maintain standalone fan app strategies rather than relying on social media or the official F1 platforms.

IBM's entry into Formula One also places it alongside other major technology companies already embedded in the sport, including AWS, Oracle, and Anthropic, all of which have partnerships with F1 teams that combine sponsorship visibility with data analytics and AI tooling.

Stanhouse noted that sports partnerships offer IBM a useful proving ground for demonstrating AI's practical value to consumers. "They actually see how it serves them," she said of how AI functions in sports storytelling contexts.

Pallard framed the longer-term ambition in direct terms: "With IBM, the vision for the next five years is to make every fan feel like the experience was built for them, whether they have been with us for 30 years or 30 days. That is how you build loyalty that lasts."

Whether the personalization infrastructure IBM is building for Ferrari translates into measurable gains in user retention and commercial value will likely become a benchmark for how other sports franchises approach AI-driven fan engagement going forward.