AI and the Future of Race Preparation

Artificial intelligence is already reshaping industries from healthcare to logistics, and motorsport is no exception. At Virtex, we’ve made AI a core part of our simulator development from day one.

“Even at this early stage, we’re applying AI methods to infer key parameters of our vehicle models directly from real-world data,” says Fabian Bräu, our CTO. “It makes the models more accurate and adaptive while reducing the manual effort required to fine-tune them.”

This is just the beginning. The vision is what Fabian calls a physics-guided AI. Every lap, every test, every sensor reading from the real car becomes feedback into the simulator. The result: a digital twin of the race car that evolves in real time, continuously improving its accuracy after every track session.

The benefits are enormous. Take tyre model optimisation. Today, this process can mean hours of simulator running, with drivers providing feedback while engineers tweak parameters one by one. It’s a time-consuming cycle that eats into preparation. With physics-informed AI, many of those parameters can be inferred directly from data before the driver even gets in the sim.

“That means the tyre model is already much closer to reality,” Fabian explains. “So the driver spends less time helping us tune the model, and more time preparing to win the race.”

AI also has potential beyond simulation itself. In engineering workflows, it can automate repetitive tasks like data analysis and reporting, freeing up valuable hours for decision-making. More advanced systems could even provide setup recommendations — taking into account driver preferences, historical performance, track conditions, and car limitations.

“Recommendation algorithms already shape our everyday lives,” Fabian notes. “In motorsport, they could become game-changers.”

At Virtex, we don’t see AI as replacing human expertise. Instead, it’s an amplifier. Engineers and drivers remain at the centre — but with AI as their partner, they gain sharper insights, faster turnaround, and smarter tools. And in racing, that’s often the margin between competing and winning.

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