EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Rob Smedley, Williams F1 head of Performance Engineering (pictured), said the racing team is already working with Internet of Things (IoT) partners to deliver a more immersive experience to remote team members during race weekends.

Smedley told Mobile World Live IoT “makes the whole operation” more tactile and enables Williams to offer an experience in its remote garage which is more like “the environment of being at the track.”

While existing technology enabled Williams to establish the remote garage allowing team members to “know exactly what’s going on at the track”, Smedley said emerging technologies including virtual reality (VR) are opening new opportunities for F1 teams and fans alike.

VR could boost the accuracy of Williams’ driving simulators, which currently run 3D technology. “The more realistic we can make our simulator the more it means we can rely and trust the results that come from that,” Smedley said, noting information derived from the simulator is used to develop the racing car.

However, VR also holds potential in terms of improving fans’ enjoyment of F1 races, for example by delivering an engrossing, trackside-like, experience.

“As a front line competitor we have a duty, let’s say, to engage the fans” across “the spectrum of age groups,” Smedley said.

Find out what else Smedley had to say in the full video interview here.