Fernando Alonso, former F1 champion and currently competing in F1 for Aston Martin, with Rajesh Varrier, who assumes the role of CMD of Cognizant India from Oct 1, during an interaction with Cognizant employees in Chennai on Monday There were plenty of prolonged cheers on Monday when Fernando Alonso , the two-time Formula One champion, addressed the packed audience in Cognizant’s massive hall in Chennai. But the loudest were on the two occasions when Alonso mentioned Adrian Newey, the greatest designer in F1 history, who will move from Red Bull to Alonso’s current team, Aston Martin , next year. Cognizant is Aston Martin’s technology partner, and the IT company’s employees clearly sense an opportunity to be – vicariously at least – part of podium finishes in coming times.
Newey may be a genius, and Alonso may be one of the world’s best drivers, but today, even they need all of the data analytics and technology that Cognizant brings to Aston Martin. “Without the data, without the analysis, I think current Formula One cars cannot run,” Alonso said in an interaction with us. In the success of a F1 car, what matters most is the aerodynamics – that’s about the way the car’s surfaces interact with the air flowing over it as it speeds around a grand prix track, braking, sliding, turning, and accelerating.
Alonso says modestly that the driver probably matters no more than 10% in the success. Engine matters 30% – mostly on the straights, but aerodynamics, he .
