Opening up the world of F1 to engineering students

SINGAPORE — They are the unseen forces behind the multi-million-dollar Formula One cars that are driven by two-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg and Felipe Massa (Williams Racing).

While the likes of Red Bull Racing’s Adrian Newey and Williams Engineering’s Pat Symonds may not be well known among F1 fans, these motor racing engineers are revered as rock stars by their teams and the industry they work in because they are the brains behind the cars’ aerodynamics and engines, and the true masterminds of their drivers’ successes.

And now, engineering students can aspire to work alongside and be mentored by technical geniuses such as Symonds, thanks to the Randstad Williams Engineering Academy.

Set up this year, the e-learning programme provides learning and developmental opportunities for students who aspire to become Formula One engineers.

The academy selects 10 students from all over the world each year to be mentored by some of the top F1 engineers from the Williams team.

The first batch of students will enrol in a seven-year mentorship programme this November, and undergo a series of vocational placements at the Williams Martini Racing headquarters in the town of Wantage, in Oxfordshire, England. Opportunities for full-time employment with Williams are also available at the end of their programme.

These students will be picked from this year’s annual F1 in Schools competition, which features 44 student teams from 40 countries including Singapore, which is hosting the World Finals at the Resorts World Convention Centre.

“There is an average of about 500 applicants for the graduate jobs that are available each year at Williams Martini Racing, and we realise there are a lot of young talents around the world that we can recruit,” said Nicola Salter, who is the human resources director at Williams.

“It is a very sexy business to work in, and there is a demand for engineers as the F1 business grows, including in Asia and in Singapore, where the F1 is in its eighth edition now. So we also want to reach out to countries whose people lack the information and guidance on how to get a career in the F1 industry.”

Besides qualities such as passion, determination and curiosity, aspiring F1 engineers must also have a good degree in mechanical or aeronautical engineering or in computer science, software development and mathematics, added Salter.

The winners of the F1 in Schools competition will be announced today. But even though the Singapore team of Ren Ying, Julia Cheong, Rachel Teo, Jolyn Tan and Tang Yiman are not expected to win, as they are trailing in the standings, they feel they have gained invaluable experience.

“It has been very enriching so far, and we get hands-on experience on how to design a miniature car using computer design tools,” said 17-year-old Raffles Institution student Ren Ying, who is the engineer of the team. “I am not sure if I want a career in the F1 industry right now, but this competition and the (Randstad Williams Engineering) academy opens up opportunities to explore it.”