SINGAPORE — A pair of Singaporean students will be heading to the United Kingdom to work as interns at the Oracle Red Bull Racing Formula One (F1) team's headquarters, after beating thousands of applicants here in a competition to get the stint.

Nanyang Technological University (NTU) undergraduates Charis Chua and Heng Yi-Hsin were selected after a multi-stage application process that included a personality assessment, short-video submissions and a case study, the Red Bull team said in a statement on Thursday (May 23).

It added that the two "bested thousands of other Singaporean residents" to win the Red Bull Intern Championship but did not mention how many applicants entered the competition.

The two young women from Singapore will be spending two months from June at the headquarters located in Milton Keynes, a city north-west of London.

Red Bull racer and three-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen delivered a video message about their selection on Instagram.

Red Bull is now leading the team standings for the 2024 season and has held the champions’ title six times since 2010, including in the latest two seasons.

Miss Chua, who snared the spot in the Hospitality and Events internship category, said that she was "visibly shaking" when she received the winners’ email. 

“I was 15 years old when I first dreamt of working in F1,” she was quoted as saying in a media statement. 

“The passion of everyone involved in the sport really drew me in and I made a promise to myself that I would put in the work to be part of it one day.”

Miss Heng, who aced the selection in the Relations and Events internship category, said that she became “immediately hooked” on the sport a few years ago.

“Back then, working in F1 felt like a pipe dream, so when the Red Bull Intern Championship was announced, I pulled out all the stops because I knew the competition would be tough,” she added.

On what will be in the programme for the interns, Red Bull said: “Working closely with the seasoned professionals, they will delve into various critical aspects of the operations. 

“From understanding the nuances of engineering, to mastering the intricacies of logistics that ensure seamless race day execution, Charis and Yi-Hsin will be at the forefront of the action.” 

Miss Chua, who is set be involved in hospitality and events, may get to host athletes and assist in organising special events among other things, the application webpage showed.

As for Miss Heng, she may be tasked with handling email queries, and compiling and organising internal reports to support decision-making.

Interns will be paid a pro-rated salary for the duration of their work stint, based on an equivalent of an annual salary of 24,500 pounds (S$40,070), the competition's terms and conditions stated.

They will also receive return flight tickets to England and accommodation allowances.

The competition to select the interns was held from March 18 to April 6, and was open to applicants aged between 18 and 28.

After their internship in England, Miss Chua and Miss Heng will be offered an opportunity to support the Singapore Grand Prix night race event in September.