F1 in schools: Promoting technology, design in schools

Published: 24 Apr 2013 - 02:14 am | Last Updated: 02 Feb 2022 - 11:51 am

By Isabel Ovalle

The expertise and innovation of Formula 1 have reached students in Qatar, with five teams from Doha British School (DBS) participating in the F1 in Schools programme. The programme aims to help change youngsters’ perceptions of engineering, science and technology by creating a fun and exciting learning environment.

DBS is the hub of F1 in Schools here and sees the programme as an opportunity for young people to develop an informed view about careers in engineering, Formula One, science, marketing and technology. The programme debuted as a national competition in Britain in 2000, with eight schools taking part. Now it’s in more than 26,000 schools in 40 countries.

Andrew Denford, founder and chairman of F1 in Schools, said the software was made available to schools all over the world free of cost, in the hope that it would stimulate children to use it at home or in the classroom. “We use this as a method for kids to study subjects that previously had been pretty difficult to teach,” said the expert, who is based in London.

Qatar will be represented in the finals of the competition this November in Austin, Texas, by a team of students from DBS, the only school from the country that will take part this year. The event will happen prior to the 2013 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix to be held at Circuit of The Americas. It will be the first time that the F1 in Schools World Finals will take place in the US.

Representatives from at least 15 schools attended the F1 in Schools Day yesterday. Among those present were Alex Burns and Damien Scott, CEO of Williams F1 and the general manager of the company in Qatar, respectively, and Steve Nevey, former member of Red Bull Racing.

“There’s one school participating this year and another one will start in the next competition. We want all schools to join, given that kids follow F1 and seem to love it,” said Denford.

The contestants participate in teams of three to six students. Among them is a team manager, a resource manager, a manufacturing engineer and someone to put together a team identity.

The cars weigh 55 grams and are made of bolster wood, which is held in a fixture and machined. Students later finish the car, paint it, make the wheels, make the front and rear foils and then shoot it down a track at 60km per hour.

“The competition has a fixed set of rules and regulations and the car is a miniature version of what you will see with FIA F1,” said the founder of F1 in Schools.

When they go into the final competition, the students not only take their car but also have to explain the process and bring a portfolio among other requirements. About 35 teams from all over the world will compete for the Bernie Ecclestone Champions Trophy. The winning team will get scholarships to study in a university in London.

Some students participate year after year until they make it to the finals. “Each year they try to improve the aerodynamics, the wheel design, the portfolio and, eventually, maybe after four or five tries, they reach the nationals; it can be quite a long process,” said Denford.

Kevin Bloomer, Design Technology and Subject Leader at DBS, and F1 in Schools coordinator, said the project was a fantastic opportunity for students to develop their cross-curricular skills. “They make a small model of the car they later use at the track, create a team identity and branding, and find sponsors,” said the teacher, urging local companies to approach them as potential sponsors.

Fawaz Mahadik, a 12-year-old student from India, is a member of one of the five teams. “At first I was interested in the programme, especially by the fact that we could go to Austin. Now I have learned a lot about engineering and how the cars work,” said the pupil. “I like to make stuff, but for now I want to keep my options open and I’m not choosing engineering as a career option, I’m more interested in being a chef,” he added.

On his part, Ricardo Jaramillo, a student from Colombia, started working on the design at the beginning of this year. “I learned about it last year, but we couldn’t join because it was too late. During this time we learned about design and came up with three options. Now we’re looking at a design that might be used for the world finals, if we win the nationals,” he stated.

“I want to be a pilot, but I’ve always been very interested in engineering and designing. After this experience I’m thinking of aeronautical engineering,” said the 12-year-old.

Terry McGuire, Principal of DBS, explained that the school acquired the equipment some years ago. “We invest a lot in design and technology and we realised that we had to make use of it with an initiative like this one,” said McGuire.

“It requires a lot of dedication and enthusiasm on the students’ part. We’re trying to encourage all of our children to have design and tech as a career option, particularly for the girls,” he added.

The Peninsula