26 Oktober 2010 Von: Amirul Ariffin IB2, Britisch International School of Jeddah

F1 in Schools is an internationally renowned competition held annually, and is aimed at students with a keen interest in the technological aspect of Formula One. The competition comprises of 9 million students from 30 different countries all aiming to design a miniature Formula 1 car that could travel along a 20-metre straight track in just 1 second. That is an average speed of 20 m/s!

Five IB students came together under the name Team Impact, and had been working hard for the past year, preparing for the international competition. For these students, it was the first year of participation in the competition, and also the first year the British International School, as well as the country of Saudi Arabia, had a representing team. Despite not having participated in a Regional or National competition due to a lack of teams, Team Impact was invited by the ‘F1 in schools’ organization to participate in the World Finals.

The main objective of the challenge was to design a miniature F1 car spanning around 20 cm to go as aerodynamically fast as possible, by applying physics principles and innovation into the design. However, the F1 in Schools competition is not only about the car design, and instead gives a more rounded and realistic F1 experience. This is because, much like an actual F1 team, teams also have to approach and develop working relationships with local businesses to acquire sponsorships as a method of funding the project. The team IMPACT was sponsored by Pepsi, Audi, Michelin, Falcons and AMG club. This means developing a brand identity and applying marketing techniques.

In Singapore, we joined 23 other teams from other countries, all of which had to go through Regional and National stages of competition. It is safe to say that the other teams were much more experienced than our own team, and we definitely had a lot to learn about the competition. When it came time for our first race, we were all anxious to see our car run for the first time. To our relief, the car completed the race successfully, and even though our best time did not match that of the other teams, we were very much content. The excitement soon gave way to nerves, however, as we entered the judging stage of the competition. We were judged on our engineering, our manufacturing, our display and our oral presentation. Tension was high and it was hard to stay optimistic. However, as a new team, we had to be open to criticism and any advice given.

Fast forward through some exciting and competitive races between the teams, and it was the end of the competition. An award ceremony was held, which was broadcast live online, and special guests from the actual F1 world attended. We sat through the ceremony, not expecting to win but still optimistic. When it came to announcing the ‘Best Newcomer’ award, we were ecstatic to be called out to receive the award, which was presented by Kamui Kobayashi, an F1 driver from the BMW Sauber F1 Team.

The award ceremony marked the end of the competition, and it was time to say goodbye to the new friends we made, some of which were not staying in Singapore for the Grand Prix. As for Team Impact, we were able to watch the exciting night race on the Singapore street circuit, which was a new experience for most of the team. Other highlights from the trip include a visit to the Universal Studios theme park and enjoying a panoramic view of the city from the Singapore Flyer and the Marina Bay Sands Sky Park.

On a final note, I would like to thank the rest of the team and say that it has been a pleasure working with them. Special thanks go to Mrs. Nabiha Khan, who has done so much more as a supervisor than we could have asked of her. A final thank you goes to the families, friends and teachers who have supported us through this whole project.