Firestone Grand Prix 2023: Smart Connected Cars at the Racetrack

The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Florida, starts this weekend and technology will be used to monitor and track everything moving, even the race car drivers.

The 19th annual Firestone NTT Indy Car Series, which features the well-known Indianapolis 500, is the official opening of the NTT Indy Car Series.

While driverless race cars sped around the Las Vegas Motor Speedway during the recent CES, the Grand Prix will have human drivers handling cars reaching speeds of up to 240 mph.

In-car monitors can show the driver’s heart rates, typically running at 80-95% of capacity, similar to the heart rates of marathon runners.

At last year’s Firestone Grand Prix, one car developed by Arrow McLaren was equipped with custom IoT capabilities to enable live streaming and replay of telemetry, driver biometrics, environmental conditions and driver point-of-view video in real time.

A total of 10 races are scheduled over the three-day weekend with the Sunday finals being broadcast nationally by NBC Sports.

The race comprises 27-car-and-driver combinations, including 14 former race winners in the series. The race is being held on the closed-off streets of St. Petersburg.

The rate of speed allows the cars to travel the length of a football field every second.

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