F1 in Schools, now in its 11^th year, is one of the most exciting student STEM initiatives offered to schools – at both primary and secondary levels. The National Finals champions will receive a unique insight into the world of Formula 1 winning a Red Bull Racing factory tour, as well as a trip to this year’s Formula 1 Santander British Grand Prix in July. The F1 in Schools challenge is well established, not just in the UK, but in over 35 countries and offers the ultimate prize for the World Champions of automotive and motorsport engineering scholarships at City University London. With the backing of Formula One from the series boss, Bernie Ecclestone, the prestigious Bernie Ecclestone World Champions trophy is presented each year along with the scholarships.

Winning the 2011 National Finals next week will put one student team on the way to this prize and with the World Finals held each year in an international location, the students will have a once-in-a-lifetime trip. In previous years, the UK National Finalists have travelled to Australia, Malaysia and Singapore, as well as being the home nation in 2009.

The National Finals next week will be the culmination of months of effort, with team work and commitment playing a key role for each student team. Up to six students in each team will have assigned themselves specific roles and worked with their fellow students to produce a Formula 1 race car of the future. An expert panel of judges will not only be looking for a fast car, they will be rewarding innovation, presentation and the approach to the challenge, as well as marketing concepts, sponsorship acquisition, and the engineering techniques employed in the design and manufacture of the car. New to this year’s National Finals will be the introduction of an award sponsored by Ferrari. This award will be presented to the team that best demonstrates their use of Research and Development (R&D). It will be presented to a team which demonstrates excellence, leadership and innovation in the application of Research and Development to the design, concept, technology or materials

Andrew Denford, Founder and Chairman of F1 in Schools, looks forward to the National Finals next week saying, “I am always surprised and excited by the work of the students taking part in F1 in Schools. Just as in the sport of Formula 1 we see teams pushing the boundaries of the rules and regulations in their determination to produce the best car; putting many hours into testing and perfecting their car and also paying great attention to detail in the visual identity of their team. I am sure we will see high standards and plenty of innovation next week on route to crowning our new National Champions.”

The competition challenges students to design, construct and race a race car of the future, made from a block of balsa wood, and powered by a compressed air canister. The car is raced over a 20 metre track and the fastest time is recorded. Aside from the on-track action, teams also produce supporting evidence of their design, develop a sponsorship and marketing campaign and produce team merchandise, with all these elements presented with their race car at the National Finals. Judges give marks in a number of categories and as well as the overall winner, individual category awards are also presented at the event closing ceremony.

Competing teams – F1 in Schools:

Competing teams – Primary F1 in Schools: