Tata Consultancy Services Ltd will provide IT and engineering services to Scuderia Ferrari for the development of Formula One racing car for the new racing season beginning next March.

This makes TCS the first Indian company to enter the F1 arena.

TCS will also provide IT solutions for the racing car's popular cousin, the Ferrari sports car.

"This is no ordinary recognition. We are delighted that Ferrari has chosen TCS technology and solutions to retain its pole position," TCS Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer S Ramadorai said on Monday.

The F1 car is the most complex and advanced car platform in the market, packing research in aerodynamics, engine technology, brakes, tyres and modelling to name just a few, said Ramadorai in a media release.

"This collaboration is a tribute to our work, to the solutions we provide and to our engineers who strive ceaselessly to make this company what it is today," he added.

The F1 family consists of an extremely limited number of companies from around the world selected for their excellence and market position, it said.

"We only work with excellent companies because that is what makes Ferrari what it is today," Ferrari Managing Director Jean Todt said. -- PTI

A Chinese model poses by a Ferrari sports car. Photo: Liu Jin/AFP/Getty Images