Atlassian Williams Racing and Michelob Ultra Win Big at SBJ Tech Awards

Atlassian Williams Racing’s pioneering ‘Lap of Legends’ partnership with Michelob ULTRA is celebrating more awards success after being honoured twice at the prestigious SBJ Tech awards in New York this week.

Showcasing the first ever real-versus-virtual F1 race, this hour-long television special saw Logan Sargeant face off against six legendary Williams drivers. Using artificial intelligence and augmented reality to bring the showdown to life, this project broke new ground in fan engagement within the sport.

It was named Best in AI and also scooped the coveted Sports Technology of the Year Award at the Sports Business Awards: Tech ceremony which is part of SBJ Tech week.

It was praised by the judges for “its unique combination of AI data, entertainment and a new fan experience that set a high bar for sports innovation and use of technology”.

“We’re thrilled to win these two SBJ Tech awards, including the coveted Sports Technology of the Year Award," James Bower, Commercial Director at Atlassian Williams Racing, commented.

"The technology we developed together for Lap of Legends pushes the boundaries of fan engagement in motorsport and took an enormous team effort, exemplifying our commitment to bringing innovation to our partnerships that reaches new audiences."

The awards are the latest in a string of accolades which includes two Golds and two Silvers at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, 11 honours at the London International Awards, 17 Clio Sports awards from The Clios, The Content in Sports award from The Drum and Creative Content of the Year at The Race Media Awards.

Combining rich sporting history with cutting-edge artificial intelligence and augmented reality, the thrilling showdown saw Williams driver Logan Sargeant take on digitised versions of six of the greatest Williams legends of all time: Jenson Button, Jacques Villeneuve, Mario Andretti, Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Damon Hill.

Racing at Silverstone, home of the British Grand Prix, Logan’s opponents appeared as augmented reality avatars in his racing helmet, which was developed by Michelob ULTRA and tested on-track by renowned test driver, Ben ‘The Stig’ Collins. Research from 720 races, 1,260 hours of footage, and 144,000 miles was used to accurately simulate the speed, racing style, technique, and strategy of each driver and their cars, allowing the avatars to react to Logan’s movements in real time.

The one-hour live television episode debuted in Spring 2024 on AMC, BBC America and The Roku Channel, and was distributed across 28 countries around the world. Its use of AI and AR redefined live sporting experience, drawing in over 19 million live TV viewers and over 26 million viewers across streaming platforms.

Ricardo Marques, Vice President of Marketing at Michelob ULTRA, added: “It’s an honour for Michelob ULTRA to be recognised alongside Atlassian Williams Racing for our first-of-its-kind collaboration on Lap of Legends.

"The mission was to bring our shared fans closer to the sport they love, while simultaneously showcasing the joy of racing.

"We’re proud to have accomplished that task and this award is a testament to the creativity and ambition of everyone involved in the project.”