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Formula 1 is a brand synonymous with speed, innovation and high performance. That same philosophy is now shaping its approach to human resources.
Speaking during a recent Workday webinar, F1’s HR Systems Lead Alastair Goss quipped that “AI is to the workplace as batteries are to the engine”. The discussion explored how F1 is using artificial intelligence to streamline recruitment, enhance the candidate experience, and ensure the sport’s talent strategy keeps pace with its global ambitions.
For an organisation with more than 800 million fans worldwide, Formula 1 runs on a surprisingly lean workforce of around 800 employees. That imbalance creates unique challenges. Every vacancy attracts global attention, often with overwhelming results.
In the past year alone, F1 “received 78,000 job applications for just 150 open roles, an average of about 520 candidates per position,” according to Goss. With multiple disparate HR systems that did not communicate with each other, manual screening became costly, time-consuming and prone to error.
F1’s decision to migrate to Workday was driven by the need to unify its fragmented HR systems. With Workday’s AI-driven tools, it claims, recruitment quickly became more manageable and measurable.
A key win came from deploying HiredScore AI, which cut CV screening time by 43.7%. The companies claim that this single improvement unlocked wider benefits: faster hiring cycles, reduced agency costs and a significant boost in candidate experience.
“Before, there simply wasn’t time to review every application,” said Goss. “Now, not only do we screen faster, but we can guarantee every CV is looked at.” For applicants, that shift transforms the recruitment process from a black box into something more transparent.
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For F1, the move to AI in HR was as much about the people as the technology, the company claims. Goss stressed the importance of bringing stakeholders into the process early. At F1, a dedicated (and appropriately named) steering committee provided both oversight and buy-in, ensuring adoption was smooth across teams.
Equally important was rethinking job descriptions. AI only performs as well as the data it’s given. Vague postings, such as asking for “good timekeeping experience” rather than specifying “motorsport timekeeping”, led to irrelevant shortlists. By refining job descriptions, recruiters not only improved AI outcomes but also gained clearer insights into the roles themselves.
Ultimately, F1 and Workday claim, AI became a tool to remove repetitive tasks, freeing recruiters to focus on higher-value decisions rather than replacing their expertise.
But challenges remain. Goss cautioned that AI bias is a real risk. To counter it, F1 occasionally reviews a sample of lower-ranked candidates to ensure fairness, while also requiring applicants to consent to AI screening.
Building trust within the recruitment team was another priority. Goss noted that once recruiters saw the benefits firsthand, confidence in the system grew naturally.
Looking ahead, F1 views AI as an enabler rather than an end in itself, streamlining operations so HR can focus on strategy and people. For organisations navigating similar pressures, the lesson is clear: success comes not from adopting AI for its own sake, but from aligning it with human insight and organisational vision.
