Sports and Entertainment
1,500+ employees
Needed a reliable communications platform that could keep pace with the organization’s need for real-time collaboration in high-pressure race environments.
High-quality audio and video enable remote staff to provide technical support to teams on the racetrack; dynamic collaboration tools like Whiteboard and Team Chat facilitate brainstorming and execution of complex design concepts.
“At Oracle Red Bull Racing, speed means everything.”
Christian Horner, Team Principal and CEO of Oracle Red Bull Racing, knows that speed is paramount to the success of a championship-winning Formula 1 racing team. Everyone from drivers to engineers to mechanics needs to be able to move quickly and innovate rapidly.
“Traditional communication methods can’t keep pace with the fast-evolving design needs of a Formula 1 car,” Christian said.
That’s why the team relies on Zoom Workplace to stay connected at every stage, from design to race week.
Oracle Red Bull Racing first began using Zoom to host engaging marketing events. Now, the organization uses Zoom Workplace — including Meetings, Team Chat, Whiteboard, and Rooms — to enable collaboration in a uniquely fast-paced industry.
“Our company has undergone a massive expansion — we’ve added more staff, more buildings, and people work from more locations,” said Oracle Red Bull Racing’s CIO, Matt Cadieux. “Our use cases with Zoom have grown over time.”
The Oracle Red Bull Racing team competes in 24 races over the course of a year — in 24 different cities. Only 60 team members are permitted to be onsite at the racetrack, but many more are involved with race day operations. The team had to find a way to enable real-time communication between team members based in the U.K. and engineers at the racetrack.
“Effective communications are really critical during the race weekend to connect engineers, drivers, mechanics, and other team members. Occasionally problems happen, and we need the people providing support to troubleshoot quickly, and that requires seamless communication that works everywhere in the world in a reliable and secure manner,” Matt said. “Having a tool like Zoom allows us to make the best decisions in a timely manner that ultimately helps us to win races.”
The team uses Zoom Team Chat to communicate quick updates or facilitate rapid decision-making. When there’s a technical issue, they can jump on a video call using Zoom Meetings to troubleshoot in real time.
“We did not have a unified messaging system before we adopted Team Chat. When we did, it fit into our ecosystem seamlessly,” Matt explained.
While race-week communications require speed and agility, the stakes are equally high throughout the complex design process. Designing a winning car requires collaboration and input from many different specialists. Digital prototypes, design documents, and simulations need to be shared and discussed, often with team members who may be in different work locations.
Oracle Red Bull Racing’s design team uses Zoom Whiteboard to facilitate real-time brainstorming, iteration, and discussion of design concepts.
Virtual design review sessions are held over Zoom Meetings, where designs, CAD models, and simulation data are shared for collective analysis and feedback. This helps the team catch and correct errors sooner, improving accuracy and streamlining the design process.
“Zoom is our medium for collaborating and unleashing the design team’s creativity to create car components and systems that do what we do best, which is to win,” Christian said.
Oracle Red Bull Racing’s formula for success is simple, according to Christian. “The key elements of being a championship-winning team are the people, the tools, the technology, the environment, the culture, and a spirit that binds everything together.”
With Zoom providing the technology, the organization has been able to successfully connect its team members on many fronts.
“We’ve had amazing feedback since we implemented Zoom Workplace,” Matt said. “People love how easy it is to work, and the quality of the video and audio.”
Zoom Workplace has become an integral platform for departments across the organization. The human resources team conducts remote interviews and training sessions over Zoom. Marketing team members use Zoom Whiteboard for brainstorming and visual storytelling.
Oracle Red Bull Racing has even implemented Zoom Rooms across its headquarters in Milton Keynes, England. “It’s enabled us to have very effective meetings with people physically at the table, but also remote participants, no matter where in the world they are,” Matt said. “It’s very easy to use, just a click and we’re able to get people to connect and communicate in a seamless manner.”
The organization continues to host remote and hybrid events using Zoom Events, sometimes even extending to multi-day, multi-session experiences. As an all-in-one platform, Zoom Events enables the team to create branded events with high production value, blending live and virtual environments that engage their fans and attendees.
“We recently had an Innovation Day, and Zoom provided a great platform for all participants, remote and local, to have a really fulfilling experience,” Matt said. “Zoom has allowed us to do things we could never do before.”
“We are all about pushing the boundaries, striving for the impossible,” Christian added, “and Zoom helps us to achieve our goals.”