OSO helps Formula 1 racing team introduce Kafka architecture for 2026
In a sport where every millisecond counts, OSO helped our F1 client scale Kafka architecture to stream competitive data from their cars on the racetrack.
5
Days on-site to complete a Kafka configuration, operations, and skills assessment
2
Production clusters evaluated and given targeted recommendations for improvement
5
Strategic recommendations made for 2026
10 February 20255 mins read
Overview
In the world of Formula 1 racing, victory is often measured in split seconds. Our client, a competitive Formula 1 racing team, wanted to introduce a scalable and reliable Kafka architecture for 2026 so that they could better map their moves during competition on the racetrack. They needed the capability to make accurate, intelligent, and most of all, rapid decisions involving their race data to review their strategy and iterate it in real-time during the 2026 season.
Although they knew what needed to be done, our client didn’t have the Kafka technical expertise to get the platform to the right level, so they found us (OSO), a group of technical Kafka experts that helps startups and organisations build strong and stable data streaming pipelines and Kafka architecture. We helped them evaluate their existing Kafka configuration, iterate it to achieve industry best practices, and set up a roadmap to introduce Kafka as their primary mode of streaming racecar data in 2026.
What Did OSO Deliver?
At first, our client came to us to introduce Kafka architecture to their operations to improve their team’s decision-making and strategy. To help them build a strong foundation for their race strategy, our engineers conducted a comprehensive Kafka Health Check, one of our core services for clients looking to better understand their architecture and potential breakpoints. A Kafka Health Check with us involves a detailed overview and account of all the potential risks with our client’s Kafka deployment, categorised by their level of severity and broken down by reference point.
For example, our client lacked Kafka security through broker authentication, when it was labelled best practice to have SLL or SASL turned on and implemented to meet increased 2026 security requirements from the FIA, the organisation that oversees Formula 1 racing. They also needed to turn on the reporting and alert features of their JMX metrics to make sure they could catch service issues before anything malfunctioned at a critical moment in the race. Other issues included knowledge gaps and single points of failure in their Kafka architecture, which we recommended they remedy with clear documentation.
We also provided the client with a set of recommendations for 2026 as part of our advisory service. Our strategic advisory service is usually an add-on to our Kafka Health Check and provides clients not only an overview of key risks, but also their best next steps. For this client, we recommended that they split their Kafka workloads over two clusters to create more resilient boundaries, separate parts of their architecture, and optimise their race day Kafka performance.
Outcome
Introducing Kafka to their 2026 operating stack helped our client prepare for a competitive, increasingly technology-dependent season of sport. Now, with their new Kafka architecture, they have a resilient and stable pipeline that streams data directly from their racecars to analysts, managers, and strategists. They know, because they worked with us, that their Kafka deployment won’t suddenly crash while cars are speeding by on the racetrack. Instead, they have a data streaming architecture in place to give them a competitive advantage in 2026.
A short breakdown of the services we provided to our client.
Kafka Health Checklist
A comprehensive diagnostic tool that evaluated and ranked Kafka core components on their risks and potential failure points.
Hardware and infrastructure configuration assessment
ZooKeeper/KRaft controller migration plan analysis
Topic and partition management review
Security protocol verification
Producer/consumer pattern evaluation
Development environment assessment
Deployment process analysis
2026 Strategic Advisory
A strategic recommendations brief based on our health check findings.
Based on our client’s goals, we ranked and recommended three priority action items for them to complete before racing in 2026.
Split workloads over multiple clusters
Enforce schema compatibility
Tune consumer offset committing
Learn More and Reach Out
To ask about our work with Formula 1 or to request a discovery call on a Kafka Health Check coupled with a Strategy Advisory, shout out to us at enquiries@oso.sh. We’d love to hear about your goals for 2026 and recommend tailored service options.
