Behind the Scenes at McLaren with Alteryx: How Data Drives Innovation in F1 and Beyond

Dan recently spent the day at the iconic McLaren Technology Centre, joining clients and the Alteryx team for a jam-packed session on the future of data, AI, and innovation. Safe to say, it was an experience to remember — from cutting-edge insights to the kind of venue that makes even the most seasoned data professionals stop and stare.

A First Glimpse Inside McLaren’s 360 Auditorium

The day kicked off in serious style inside McLaren’s 360 Auditorium, part of their Thought Leadership Centre — an ultra-modern facility known for hosting both F1 royalty and a few familiar faces from the big screen (Andor fans, you might recognise it). For Dan, it was his first time inside, and the setting more than lived up to the hype.

Alteryx Shows Up in Full Force

What truly stood out was the Alteryx leadership team, who flew in to meet clients and industry partners face-to-face. Newly appointed CEO Andy MacMillan led the charge, bringing with him not just ideas but genuine investment in time, strategy, and listening. The message was clear: Alteryx is stepping into a bold new chapter — and clients are firmly at the centre of it.

A Sneak Peek at Alteryx One

One of the highlights of the day was an exclusive preview of the Alteryx One platform, and it was packed with game-changing potential.

Rather than bolting on AI as a separate add-on, Alteryx is weaving it directly into the platform. Features like the text-to-workflow Copilot, deeper integration with internal and external models, and AI-driven Auto Insights Magic Reports are all designed to make outcomes faster, smarter, and more automated, allowing users to focus on what matters instead of wrangling dashboards.

Perhaps most excitingly, Alteryx unveiled its implementation of MCP (Model Context Protocol) - a fast-emerging standard in Agentic AI. In practice, this will enable Alteryx to orchestrate and participate in Agentic processes, all while maintaining the platform’s core strength: trustworthy data and reliable outputs.

The McLaren x Alteryx Data Connection

Beyond the product updates, the day offered a fascinating glimpse into how McLaren uses Alteryx in their data strategy. It played a pivotal role in helping them secure the Constructors’ Championship last season, contributing to a 100% race completion rate — a testament to both engineering precision and data-driven decision making.

Dan was particularly amazed by this stat:

🏎️ By the end of the season, only 5% of the car’s parts were the same as at the start — representing 19,000 engineering changes in one year.

What Comes Next

Alteryx is clearly moving at speed — not just keeping up with the AI race, but shaping it. With more clients preparing to transition to Alteryx One, the opportunities for automation, insight, and innovation have never been greater.

Dan left the day energised and inspired — and grateful to Alteryx, McLaren, and the Continuum clients who made it so memorable. For those who couldn’t make it? Fingers crossed for a repeat soon.