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Students Race to Success with F1 in Schools

22 October 2024
Engineering students are taking on an exciting new challenge this year with F1 in Schools.  We caught up with the group to learn more.

Engineering students are taking on an exciting new challenge this year by running their very own Formula 1 Team.  

We caught up with the group to learn more, find out where this innovative project is taking them and what they hope to achieve. 

What is F1 in Schools? 

F1 in Schools is a global STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) competition that puts young people in the driver’s seat. Endorsed by Formula 1 and sponsored by Lenovo, this isn’t your typical school project. 

The competition operates at both national and international levels. This involves designing and building the best car to race down a track, requiring many Engineering skills such as 2D Design, CAD (Computer Aided Design), and soft skills such as teamwork and management.  

F1inSchools team standing around a table with formula one car models displayed on it.

How do students get involved? 

Working in teams of 3-5 people, our learners have created their own Formula 1 team, with each member taking on a specialist role. 

As part of this project, they will get to: 

  • Design and build miniature F1 cars 
  • Manage their team’s brand and marketing 
  • Learn professional CAD software 
  • Operate CNC machines 
  • Handle sponsorship and finances 
  • Develop presentation skills 

 

Meet the Team: 

Ciaran Wylie – Project Manager 

What is your role in this project? 

“As Project Manager I am responsible for overseeing the whole project. I outline what we need to do to make this project as successful as it can be. I work closely with each team member to make sure that we are on track and ensuring that we meet our deadlines.”  

What has been the best part of F1 in Schools? 

“I think for me using the Wind Tunnel has been fun to play about with. It’s cool to see how the air flows over the cars and to see how the designs make an impact on performance.” 

What have you learnt so far? 

“I hope to have a better understanding of many areas that we work in, and I have never led a project before such as this, so I hope to develop my project management skills further. I do not have that much experience, for me this will be nice as I can also learn to manage other situations better using what I have done here. “ 

What are your planned next steps? 

“I am planning to go to university and study Mechanical Engineering. Eventually, I’d love to work in motorsports, specifically in Formula 1.”  


Leah Short – Management and Sponsorships Officer 

What is your role in this project? 

“I am responsible for the Marketing side of the project. This includes managing the team’s Instagram account and securing sponsorships from local businesses. So far, I have been reaching out to local businesses via email to let them know how they can help.” 

What has been the best part of F1 in Schools? 

“I’m really enjoying talking to new people and discussing different ways to do things as it’s great to get other perspectives. I also love helping Shaun and Harvey from the design team whilst they create, edit and design the car.” 

What do you hope to learn from this? 

“I hope to get a greater understanding of CAD (Computer Aided Design) and Manufacturing in general. As I communicate a lot in my role, I’m also getting more experience writing professional emails.” 

What are your planned next steps? 

“I would love to go to university with sponsorship from the RAF. The dream for me is one day I can join the RAF as a Mechanical Engineer and hopefully work with fighter jets.”


 

Harry Richardson – Graphic Designer 

What is your role in this project? 

“As the team’s Graphic Designer, I’m responsible for the branding and logos. I get to think about how my designs look on the car and how they best reflect the team’s identity.” 

What has been the best part of F1 in Schools? 

“The creation of the logo has been the best part for me so far, in addition to working in the team. Seeing the design come to life has been rewarding.” 

What do you hope to learn from this? 

“By taking part in F1 in Schools, I hope to improve my Photoshop skills and get better at branding overall. Working with Leah, who is doing the Marketing for the project, will help us bounce off each other’s ideas.” 

What are your planned next steps? 

“I’m unsure at the moment what I’d like to do after College, but I’d really like to work with aircraft or trains in some capacity.” 


Sean Bevan – Lead CAD Engineer 

What is your role in this project? 

“My job is to build and design the car that we’ll use in the competition. I focus on the CAD aspects and aerodynamics to ensure the car performs well” 

What has been the best part of F1 in Schools? 

“I’ve enjoyed learning how to use new software. Creating the car is going well and the team now get to see it on display digitally. The next part will be transferring the wind tunnel environment into the software Which will improve our understanding of aerodynamics.” 

What do you hope to learn from this? 

I’d like to learn even more CAD skills, looking into advanced ideas and practices like the science of aerodynamics. 

What are your planned next steps? 

“I don’t have a specific career path in mind yet, but I know that I definitely want to work in the Engineering industry and make an impact.”

 


Harvey Smith-Watson – Design Engineer 

 

What is your role in this project? 

“I am responsible for drawing up ideas for how the car should look. I then feed these ideas back to Sean so he can create these in CAD software and make any tweaks and changes as needed.” 

What has been the best part of F1 in Schools? 

“The best part for me has been testing out my ideas in CAD and seeing how tweaks can affect the overall design.” 

What do you hope to learn from this? 

“I hope to learn more about the basics of aerodynamics and advance my CAD skills. These are areas I’ve touched upon in my course so it would be good to have some extra context.” 

What are your planned next steps? 

“After College, I’m really hoping to get an Engineering apprenticeship with the McLaren F1 team.”

What’s next for our learners? 

By participating in F1 in Schools, our team will compete in regional events, with the chance to progress to national finals and potentially race at the Aramco F1 in Schools World Finals. 


The experiences learnt in this project could lead our learners to explore future careers in: 

  • Automotive Design and Manufacturing 
  • Project Management 
  • Marketing and Brand Management 
  • Technical Design 
  • Manufacturing Engineering 

Thanks to the project, students could also use their knowledge and skills to progress to university or a higher-level apprenticeship in Engineering. 

If you want to get started in the world of Engineering, then F1 in Schools is the project for you. Being able to take part in projects like this at College means you’ll gain unique experiences and new skills to help you in your next steps.