How F1's Ghost Car Tool Explains the Ultra-Thin 2025 Margins

(Motorsport-Total.com) - A thousandth of a second: At Zandvoort, that's exactly what made the difference in the battle for pole position between McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. This only became apparent with the new "Ghost Car" tool, which will be introduced into Formula 1 broadcasts in 2025.

While Norris appeared to be on course for pole in the onboard recording, the transparent image of Piastri's MCL39 suddenly appeared in the picture - the Australian had the better corner exit, overtook in the banking of the final corner and snatched the best time by 0.0012 seconds.

The tool, which is regularly used on F1 TV and the series' social media channels, illustrates precisely such scenes. Using precise GPS and timing data, two cars can be overlaid in the replay.

This creates the impression that a "ghost car" is driving alongside, making the direct comparison visible: where driver A is losing time, where driver B is taking the better line, or how much a lack of engine power costs on the straights.

Left-Right Challenge

Dean Locke, F1's Head of Broadcast, explains in an interview with Motorsport.com Global , the English-language sister publication of Motorsport-Total.com on the Motorsport Network: "In qualifying, we sometimes have thousandths of a second separating four cars. To represent that visually and pictorially is incredibly difficult."

"It's hard to grasp how fantastic some laps really are—whether it's Charles Leclerc snatching pole from the McLaren in Hungary or one of those incredible laps from Max Verstappen. Our goal is to tell that story."

Previous attempts to use ghost cars had failed due to two hurdles: the accuracy of the data and the speed at which the material had to be prepared for the TV partners.

Locke says: "We always knew that GPS would be difficult to use for such simulations. We are very confident in the car's forward and backward positioning, but our left-right positioning was less reliable."

The breakthrough came from specially developed software: "We decided to build a special application to speed up the process and deliver the data quickly to our partners."

"We take the GPS data and overlay it on the video recordings, tag it, and then compare it with the onboard data. This is largely done manually by very good editors who are quick and pay close attention."

Time required for processing: room for improvement

The problem: Even small deviations in the camera perspective make the work difficult. "There's a tolerance of five percent for horizontal and vertical image differences on the onboards. That sounds small, but it makes a huge difference when comparing data."

"Even a few image dropouts on the onboards can shift everything. That's where human correction comes in. But I think AI will play a role here in the future as we further develop the software."

The response to the new feature has been overwhelming – from fans and TV partners alike. Locke reports: "Even before the launch, there was a strong reaction. We talked with our TV partners in advance, including how we could best deliver it to them. And sometimes it's not just about one-versus-two, but also one-versus-four, if it makes editorial sense."

The preparation still takes 90 minutes to two hours. "Some of our broadcast partners say this is a good fit because they can use it in their pre-shows the next day. But I'd like to have it faster. Our goal is 30 minutes after the end of the session."

The ghost car is part of a larger strategy to make Formula 1 more relatable to different audiences. This also includes the Halo HUD, reminiscent of video games. "When we told the TV director that we wanted to put a graphic through the center of the picture, it seemed incredibly strange at first," laughs Locke. "But it turned out to be a complete success."

The aim is to appeal to both hardcore fans and a younger, broader audience. "A ghost car works for everyone. The die-hard fan sees who was slightly off the racing line, and the casual fan understands why the McLarens aren't on pole this time."

New rules require new features

Locke emphasizes that new features are not an end in themselves: "Sometimes there's a danger of using technology just for technology's sake. We're very careful not to do that. It has to help the fans and tell a story."

Influences also come from outside - for example from the Apple F1 film, which became a box office hit in 2025: "We were honored that they wanted to use so much of our footage."

"The crew from Top Gun: Maverick told us they liked our helicopter footage—that was a huge compliment. Some of their systems are difficult to integrate into a live broadcast, but we were able to borrow some ideas."

Looking ahead to 2026, when new rules like "Manual Override Mode" will be introduced to replace DRS, Locke sees the need for even more explanatory elements: "We're already in workshops to figure out what data we'll have and what stories we can tell from it. With better connectivity in the car, we'll be able to show more than we can today."