Keep fans engaged across the calendar, not just race weekends
Em um esporte onde milissegundos separam vitória e derrota, Ferrari e IBM voltaram sua atenção para uma distância igualmente importante: aquela entre o torcedor e o clube que ele ama. A parceria entre a escuderia italiana e a gigante tecnológica americana representa uma tentativa de transformar o engajamento esportivo em algo contínuo, personalizado e humano — reconhecendo que a paixão pelo automobilismo não precisa hibernar entre os fins de semana de corrida. É também um reflexo de como a Fórmula 1 se tornou um campo de disputa não apenas entre pilotos, mas entre as maiores empresas de tecnologia do mundo.
- O aplicativo original da Ferrari era uma vitrine estática — os torcedores chegavam, checavam informações e iam embora, sem razão para ficar.
- A ausência de uma versão em italiano no app de uma das instituições mais icônicas da Itália revelava o quanto a experiência digital havia sido negligenciada.
- Com IBM, o app ganhou recaps gerados por IA, jogos de previsão, conteúdo dos bastidores e narrativas que transformam cada Grande Prêmio em uma história a ser acompanhada.
- O engajamento nos fins de semana de corrida subiu 62% — um salto que indica não apenas mais cliques, mas uma relação mais profunda entre torcedor e equipe.
- Ferrari criou um cargo inédito de desenvolvimento de fãs e mira agora o público feminino: 75% dos novos torcedores da F1 são mulheres, muitas da Geração Z atraídas pela F1 Academy.
- Amazon, Oracle e Anthropic já disputam espaço no ecossistema da Fórmula 1 — a IBM chegou pela porta da Ferrari para não ficar de fora dessa corrida paralela.
Ferrari e IBM firmaram uma parceria para redesenhar a experiência digital dos torcedores da escuderia italiana na Fórmula 1, usando inteligência artificial como eixo central de uma transformação que já apresenta resultados concretos. A aliança nasceu de uma lacuna dupla: a IBM, apesar de anos construindo tecnologia para o esporte, ainda não tinha presença na F1; a Ferrari, por sua vez, tinha um aplicativo que não cumpria seu potencial — e que, reveladoramente, sequer oferecia versão em italiano para sua audiência predominantemente italiana.
Com essa base corrigida, as duas empresas avançaram para um redesenho mais ambicioso. O novo app reúne resumos de corridas escritos por IA, jogos interativos de previsão, conteúdo exclusivo dos bastidores e histórias sobre pilotos e operações da equipe. O objetivo é claro: transformar o aplicativo de um ponto de consulta em um companheiro de temporada, capaz de manter o torcedor engajado mesmo nos meses sem corrida. O engajamento nos fins de semana de GP cresceu 62% desde que a parceria entrou em vigor — um número que reflete não apenas volume, mas qualidade de interação.
A Ferrari não trata isso como projeto concluído. A criação de um cargo dedicado ao desenvolvimento de fãs, assumido por Stefano Pallard, sinaliza que o trabalho vai se aprofundar. Um foco particular está emergindo: o público feminino. Dados divulgados pela própria F1 mostram que 75% dos novos torcedores são mulheres, muitas da Geração Z, com interesse especial na F1 Academy. Ferrari enxerga aí uma oportunidade de construir narrativas e funcionalidades que falem diretamente a esse segmento crescente.
A parceria também ilumina uma disputa mais ampla: Amazon, Oracle e Anthropic já estabeleceram presença no ecossistema da Fórmula 1. Para a IBM, o acordo com a Ferrari é uma entrada em um ambiente de dados ricos e audiências apaixonadas — exatamente o tipo de palco onde a inteligência artificial pode demonstrar valor real.
Ferrari and IBM have joined forces to remake how the Italian team engages with its Formula 1 fans, deploying artificial intelligence across a redesigned mobile application that has already shifted how people interact with the sport. The partnership emerged from a straightforward gap: IBM, despite building sports technology for years, had not yet worked with a Formula 1 team. Ferrari, meanwhile, recognized an opportunity to deepen its connection with a global fanbase that extends far beyond race weekends.
The collaboration began with basics that revealed how incomplete the original Ferrari app had been. The application, despite belonging to an Italian institution with a predominantly Italian audience, did not offer an Italian-language version until IBM arrived. Once that foundation was laid, the two companies moved into more ambitious territory. The new app now houses AI-generated race recaps written specifically to capture the texture of each Grand Prix, interactive prediction games that let fans forecast outcomes, expanded behind-the-scenes storytelling about drivers and team operations, and a suite of other features designed to keep people returning throughout the season rather than only during race weekends.
Kameryn Stanhouse, IBM's vice president of sports and entertainment partnerships, explained the selection of Ferrari in terms that acknowledged the weight of history: the team holds more victories than any other in Formula 1. That pedigree mattered, but so did the structural challenge the partnership was meant to solve. The old app functioned as a destination where fans arrived to check race details and then departed. The redesigned version operates differently—it aspires to be a place where engagement compounds, where narrative and interactivity keep people invested across the calendar.
The results have been measurable. Since the partnership took effect, engagement during race weekends has climbed 62 percent. That figure reflects not just traffic but the quality of interaction: people spending time with content, playing games, making predictions, reading stories. The metric suggests that the shift from information delivery to narrative immersion is working as intended.
Yet Ferrari and IBM are not treating this as a finished product. The team has appointed Stefano Pallard to a newly created role as head of fan development, signaling that this work will deepen rather than plateau. One particular focus is emerging: the female audience. Formula 1 released data last year showing that 75 percent of new fans entering the sport are women, many of them from Generation Z. That demographic has shown particular interest in F1 Academy, a racing series designed exclusively for female drivers and intended to develop the next generation of women competitors. Ferrari sees an opportunity to build features and narratives that speak directly to this audience, to make the app a space where that growing segment of fandom finds not just content but recognition.
The partnership also reflects a broader shift in how technology companies view Formula 1. Amazon, Oracle, and Anthropic have all moved to establish themselves within the sport's ecosystem in recent years. For IBM, the Ferrari deal represents a foothold in a domain that combines global reach, passionate fanbases, and the kind of data-rich environment where artificial intelligence can demonstrate tangible value. For Ferrari, it means the resources and expertise to transform a basic information tool into something closer to a year-round companion for its supporters.
Citações Notáveis
Ferrari was chosen because it is the team with the most victories in history— Kameryn Stanhouse, IBM vice president of sports and entertainment partnerships
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why did Ferrari need IBM to do this? Couldn't they have built this app themselves?
They could have, technically. But IBM brought two things Ferrari didn't have in-house: deep experience building sports apps at scale, and the AI infrastructure to generate personalized content in real time. IBM saw a gap in its own portfolio—no Formula 1 team partnership yet—and Ferrari saw a way to stop treating its app as a static information kiosk.
The 62 percent engagement jump is impressive, but what does that actually mean? Are people spending more time, or just clicking more?
It's both, but the structure matters. The old app was transactional—you checked the race results and left. The new one is designed to keep you coming back with games, predictions, AI-written narratives. That 62 percent likely reflects longer sessions and more frequent visits, not just more taps.
Why is the female audience suddenly so important to Ferrari?
It's not sudden—the data just made it undeniable. Three-quarters of new F1 fans are women, many Gen Z. That's not a niche anymore; that's the future of the sport. F1 Academy gives Ferrari a concrete way to speak to that audience, and the app is where they can build community around it.
Does personalizing the app for women mean different content, or just marketing the same content differently?
That's the question Ferrari is still figuring out. Right now it's probably the latter—same features, different narrative framing. But if they're serious about it, they'll eventually build features that reflect what that audience actually wants from the sport, not just what Ferrari assumes they want.