Formula One Management and Tata Communications invite fans to develop a virtual reality F1® experience

SINGAPORE, 07 June 2016 – Tata Communications, Official Connectivity
Provider to  Formula 1® and the Official Managed
Connectivity Supplier of the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One™ Team, is launching the 2016 F1® Connectivity Innovation Prize, and unveiling the first challenge of the competition. The aim of the USD
$50,000 prize is to inspire fans worldwide to harness their technical know-how
and passion for F1® racing to drive innovation in the sport
through two technology challenges. This year’s challenges will focus on how
virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) technologies could be used to
make the sport more immersive for fans, and help the teams work more
effectively together in the run-up to and during each Grand Prix.

The first challenge, set by Formula One
Management, calls on technology enthusiasts to develop a solution that uses VR and AR to
enable fans at home to experience a Grand Prix virtually. The solution should
allow fans who are not at the live event to immerse themselves into the
exhilarating world of F1® racing – from the pit
lane and the Formula One Paddock Club™, to the drivers’ parade and the starting
grid formation.

John
Morrison, Chief Technical Officer of Formula One Management and one of the
judges, says, “We want to give as many fans as possible the opportunity to
experience first-hand the thrill of a Grand Prix – and VR or AR could enable us
to do just that. These technologies represent the next big innovation
opportunity for the sport. In the not-too-distant future, they could enable fans to
get virtually transported to a Grand Prix, complementing and enriching the race
experience.”

“In the last two years, the F1® Connectivity Innovation
Prize has grown into a major platform for showcasing the huge potential of data
and superfast connectivity in boosting F1® teams’
competitiveness, and in bringing fans closer to the sport,” says Julie
Woods-Moss, Tata Communications’ CMO and CEO of its NextGen Business. “We now invite fans from all over the
world to share their ideas for how VR and AR could take fan engagement to the
next level.”

In addition to John Morrison, the jury
includes Lewis Hamilton, driver of the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One™
Team; Paddy Lowe, Executive Director (Technical) of the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS
Formula One™ Team; David Coulthard, former Formula 1®race driver and
Channel 4’s F1® racing Lead Expert Analyst and commentator;
Martin Brundle, former Formula 1® race driver and F1®commentator
for Sky Sports F1® and Mehul Kapadia, Managing Director of
F1® Business at Tata Communications.

The
jury will pick three winners from each challenge of the F1® Connectivity
Innovation Prize. The six winners will
be awarded trips to the 2016 FORMULA 1 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX in October,
where the jury will announce the Grand Prize winner. The Grand Prize is acheque for $50,000 and a bespoke trophy. A full brief for the
first F1® Connectivity Innovation Prize challenge can be
downloaded from theF1® Connectivity Innovation Prize website. The
closing date for the first challenge is 16th June. The second challenge
will be set by the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One™ Team in July.

Tata Communications is the Official
Connectivity Provider of Formula 1®, enabling the sport to
seamlessly reach its tens of millions of fans across the globe.