Ferrari is using IBM’s artificial intelligence tools to make its Formula One fan app more personalized, interactive, and useful beyond race weekends, as sports teams increasingly look to AI to deepen fan loyalty.
IBM saw Formula One as a major sports opportunity after the sport’s global rise, especially in the United States, where Netflix’s Drive to Survive helped turn F1 drivers into mainstream celebrities. IBM’s own Ferrari partnership page says IBM watsonx is powering AI-driven content and insights inside the Scuderia Ferrari app, with the goal of creating a richer digital experience for Ferrari’s fanbase.
IBM and Ferrari focus on fan storytelling
The partnership is centered less on car performance and more on fan engagement.
Kameryn Stanhouse, IBM’s Vice President of Sports and Entertainment Partnerships, shared that Ferrari was an obvious partner because it is the “winningest team in history.” She also said sports data can help people understand AI because fans can see how the technology serves them through storytelling and race content.
Ferrari also created a new role around this shift. Stefano Pallard, Ferrari’s head of fan development, shared that the challenge was not only reaching fans, but making each one feel known by turning track data into content that is easier to follow and more engaging.
The app adds AI summaries, games, and a companion
The revamped Scuderia Ferrari app is designed to keep fans inside Ferrari’s own digital ecosystem instead of relying only on social media or Formula One’s official platforms.
TechCrunch reported that Ferrari is one of the few teams among the 11 F1 teams with a standalone fan app strategy, alongside teams such as McLaren and Williams.
IBM’s Ferrari page says the updated app includes AI-generated race summaries, data visualizations, historical context, race predictor leagues, daily quizzes, digital badges, global leaderboards, and an AI Companion that works as an always-on guide for fans.
IBM says the app also includes a Race Centre for AI-generated race summaries and a Paddock Club Experience with live team radio and AI explanations for on-site guests.
The company said IBM Consulting redesigned and redeveloped the mobile app, improved its information architecture and interface, and added AI-generated content and insights to support both fans and Ferrari’s editorial team.
Ferrari wants fans engaged beyond race weekends
The bigger goal is to make Ferrari fandom feel active all year.
Stanhouse shared that the Ferrari app is different from IBM’s other sports apps because its main focus is storytelling and year-round engagement. She also said app engagement has been trending upward, citing a 62% increase in engagement over race weekends since IBM became involved.
Pallard said Ferrari uses AI to analyze engagement signals, including which content fans read and the sentiment of messages they send. shared that this helps the team understand what resonates most with the Tifosi, the nickname for Ferrari fans, and shapes how Ferrari delivers content.
F1’s fanbase is changing
The timing matters because Formula One’s audience is becoming broader and younger.
Formula One released stats last year showing 75% of new fans were women, many of them from Gen Z.
IBM’s Ferrari page describes Scuderia Ferrari HP as having nearly 400 million Tifosi across many countries and languages, with fans ranging from longtime supporters to newer fans just discovering the sport.
AI becomes part of sports loyalty
Ferrari’s use of AI shows how sports teams are turning fan apps into personalized digital platforms.
IBM says Ferrari uses a hybrid cloud setup across IBM and AWS clouds, IBM watsonx.data to manage and curate large volumes of data, and IBM Bob, an AI coding agent, to help improve app development efficiency and accuracy.
For Ferrari, the app is not just a place to check race details. It is becoming a loyalty engine that uses AI to explain the sport, personalize content, support games and predictions, and make fans feel closer to the team.
For IBM, the partnership shows how enterprise AI can move from corporate workflows into mainstream fan experiences.
The larger question is whether AI can turn casual F1 viewers into long-term Ferrari loyalists.
Ferrari and IBM are betting that better storytelling, more personalization, and easier access to race insights can make fans feel like the experience was built for them.
