Picture: F1inschools
The provisional grid for the F1 in Schools World Finals Abu Dhabi 2019 supported by ADNOC was set yesterday with the 55 team’s cars speeding along the Official F1 in Schools 20 metre racetrack today at du Forum on Yas Island.
The competition is fierce, with the student teams competing for the ultimate prize in the F1 in Schools programme, the World Champions title and coveted university scholarships from UCL Engineering, City, University of London and University of Huddersfield.
All 55 teams raced their cars in the first of three rounds of speed tests, with, a team from Greece, 'Anemos Racing', topping the leaderboard on the first of three days of competition, posting a time of 1.041 seconds, just 0.005 seconds ahead of the second placed car of 'Ionic' from Australia.
This year’s competition features new rules and regulations for the teams, with the F1 in Schools cars sporting wider, wing end mounted rear wings and two span front wings. Many of the teams produced innovative designs with intricate engineering which impressed the judges.
Chair of Judges, former F1 technical director, Gary Anderson, says of the new regulations, “We wanted to have a rear wing assembly that was more like Formula 1. We’ve changed the rear wing from a two piece to one single, larger span wing, mounted on the wing ends, and to balance this, a larger two piece front wing, we’ve also tweaked the rules to achieve a ‘coke bottle’ effect from the rear tyres, to improve the aerodynamics and we’ve seen some good interpretations of this, with these cars performing well. It’s good to see the theory behind this function well, even on a car this size.”
The event had a lively buzz with all the teams having put a huge effort into building pit displays which showcase their work and a strong team spirit was evident all around the Yas Island venue.
This 15th World Finals started with an opening ceremony performed by Reem Mubarak AlBuainain, Manager, Corporate Social Responsibility Department, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), who then sampled F1 in Schools racing with a demonstration run, racing with Andrew Denford, Founder and Chairman, F1 in Schools.
The World Finals of this global STEM challenge has brought together National winners all battling for glory. With teams spending all their spare time, and often school time, to design, make, and test their miniature Formula 1 cars, this week they present their work and their cars to expert judges drawn from industry and education.
The competition continues today with more judging sessions and racing. All the action can be viewed live on the F1 in Schools Youtube Channel.
The F1 in Schools World Finals 2019 is held with the support of a host of sponsors including Formula 1, ADNOC, Yas Marina Circuit, Denford, The Institution of Engineering and Technology, Abu Dhabi Motorsport Management, Autodesk, Etihad, FIA Women in Motorsport Commission, UCL Engineering, City, University of London, University of Huddersfield and Abu Dhabi Convention and Exhibition Bureau.
