‘Lap Of Legends’ Pits F1 Titans Against Modern Racing Drivers Using AI

Williams Racing and Michelob ULTRA team up to bring a first-of-its-kind racing duel documentary to Silverstone.

This past weekend Michelob Ultra invited a roomful of VIPS to Cathédrale, the ornate French-inspired restaurant just off the sprawling lobby of the Aria Resort and Casino. It was the night before the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix, and moods were high as we all gathered to catch the teaser for Laps of Legends—an upcoming documentary created by the famed Williams Racing Formula One team. 

The heritage of Williams Racing is carved in stone by the hands of legends like Mario Andretti, Nigel Mansell and Keke Rosburg. Having secured nine constructors’ and seven drivers’ championships, Williams is second to only Ferrari in its abundant history of winning.

Times have been tough for the British racing team and supplier recently, but new rules and spending caps across F1 look to even the field. Now one of Williams main sponsors, Michelob Ultra, teamed up with the F1 team to help shine a light on their legacy, creating the upcoming Laps of Legends documentary. 

As they explained at Cathédrale 99.9% of motorsports fans will never experience what it’s actually like to slip behind the wheel of a F1 car. So Michelob Ultra and Williams are employing cutting-edge tech to bring fans even closer to the race…and remind them to enjoy the ride while they’re at it. Using state-of-the-art AI technology, Williams have scrubbed through thousands of races to analyze, interpret and predict how all their most famous drivers performed their art—from the above stated to other icons of motorsport like Alain Prost, Nelson Piquet and Jacques Villeneuve. 

Then using both AI and augmented reality, the documentary team will pit one of Williams Racing’s pro drivers, Thai-British racer Alex Albon or sole American F1 driver Logan Sargeant, against these historic titans of the sport in a 16-lap race around the thrilling Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire, England. 

The Lap of Legends doc will air in full in April 2024 on AMC, BBC America and The Roku Channel.