'Marginal gains and reliability matter everywhere': How a key SAP upgrade is helping Mercedes soar to Formula 1 triumph in 2026

Date:
Sun, 01 Nov 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Description:
Mercedes is cruising to Formula 1 glory, with its final push powered by some new SAP upgrades

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter As the 2026 Formula 1 season draws to a close, Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 is cruising to glory in both the driver's and constructor's world championships.

But behind its quest for pure speed is a tech stack which constantly evolves throughout the year, with the team supported by a host of partners to make sure it stays ahead of the competition. SAP is one of the team's key providers, and following a key upgrade, we spoke to Dean Corcoran, Head of ERP, IT at Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, to find out more about how it is helping get the title push over the line. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here: Its obviously been a hugely successful season for Mercedes F1 so far. What role has your tech stack and partners such as SAP played in that? On-track success is ultimately delivered by the collective capability of the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team to design, build, operate and develop the car. Underpinning all of that is the technology stack that enables our people to
do their jobs effectively.

SAP is a key enabler of Team performance. It is the system of record across our cost, procurement, manufacturing and operational processes, providing the foundational data that supports many of the decisions we make across the organisation. You may like How to watch F1 2026 from anywhere with this VPN deal What Formula 1 teaches businesses about AI Formula 1 world champion
Lando Norris has signed up with a mysterious company claiming it provides 'rocket fuel for AI' but why? What can you tell us about the upgrade? What benefits will it bring to the team for the rest of the season? The RISE implementation and upgrade to the latest release of S/4HANA was fundamentally about strengthening the Teams core enterprise platform, making it more resilient, more performant and allowing us to take advantage of the latest functionality available to us.

Importantly, it also creates the foundation for our future roadmap. It gives us the platform from which we can make greater use of new analytics capabilities and begin paving the way for future AI use cases. Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get
all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting
your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. What challenges are involved in upgrading your ERP platform in the middle of the season? How much preparation was involved to ensure it didnt disrupt your charge for the championships? Our S/4HANA platform is a business-critical application that touches all aspects of the Teams operations, so a migration of this scale has to be meticulously planned and executed. Any disruption to the business could have significant consequences, particularly in the middle of a championship campaign.

Our first phase was therefore about understanding exactly where we would see the impact of the migration and upgrade. The second was developing a comprehensive implementation and testing plan, with precise timings and staffing requirements. The final phase was about executing that plan with excellence.

We were extremely well supported by SAP throughout the migration, and that preparation paid off. We were able to move seamlessly onto the new platform with no disruption to the business ahead of the first weekend of racing. What to read next Need for speed: Ukraine actively seeking Formula 1 expertise to design future Magura naval unmanned vehicles like ultra-lightweight racing machines How Globant and FIFA are keeping fans around the world glued to the beautiful game How to watch F1 2026: Live Streams, TV Channels With regards
to software updates, how do you ensure your upgrades are processed and programmed effectively? Within the Teams IT organisation, we follow a
rigorous portfolio, project and change-management approach. That means understanding and evaluating the impact of any change well ahead of implementation.

From there, we develop tailored implementation and testing plans, with clear exit criteria for each phase. Ultimately, disciplined governance matters just as much as technical capability and speed when you are making changes to business-critical systems. We hear a lot about mid-season upgrades being a huge boost for any team when it comes to new parts, but how much of an impact can software upgrades bring? A well-planned and well-executed software
upgrade should improve an organisations ability to deliver value through the processes that software supports.

In the case of an ERP platform, that means being able to execute processes faster without compromising quality, while making more data available more quickly to support decision-making. In an environment like the Team, where speed and quality matter enormously, those improvements can be valuable. With more attention being paid to data controls than ever before, what impact will the new upgrade have on the Teams compliance goals? A modern ERP solution
such as SAP RISE PCE needs to support and supplement the controls built into the Teams business processes, rather than existing separately from them.

With the upgrade to S/4HANA 2025, we are leveraging the latest SAP functionality to provide the best possible insight to the right people at the right time. That helps us make informed decisions while maintaining the
robust controls required across the organisation. Looking forward to the rest of the season, how big an effect can upgrades such as the new SAP delivery give to the Team as you chase both championships? Marginal gains and reliability matter everywhere when you are trying to win both championships, and our move to RISE and upgrade to S/4HANA 2025 are focused on delivering both.

We are already seeing improved transactional performance on the new platform, giving valuable time back to users across the Team. Alongside that, we are adopting and leveraging some of SAPs latest functionality across Fiori and analytics, with further capabilities on our roadmap that we believe can deliver additional performance improvements in the future. Follow TechRadar
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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/marginal-gains-and-reliability-matter-everywhere -how-a-key-sap-upgrade-is-helping-mercedes-soar-to-formula-1-triumph-in-2026


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