Formula Student, now in its 16th year, takes place 9-13 July, at Silverstone. Tickets are now available on site and spectators are welcome.
The 2014 competition includes 114 teams from 33 countries, with up to 3000 students taking direct part in the event, and approximately 5000 participants altogether on site. There are 105 Class 1 teams, of which 29 are entering electric vehicles, with 13 cars competing for the first time. Of the 29 Class 2 teams, 12 are newcomers.
Group Captain Mark Hunt, President of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said:
“Formula Student is the world’s leading student motorsport event and a key proving ground for the engineers of tomorrow.”
“As President of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, I want to demonstrate what engineers have to offer society, broaden public awareness of how engineers are improving the world we live in, and help encourage the next generation of engineers. Formula Student, with its innovation, engineering and extraordinary student teams, is certainly an excellent way of doing this."
“I will be following the competition closely, and would like to wish all teams competing at Silverstone the very best of luck.”
Christopher Body, an experimental test pilot in the Royal Air Force, who competed in 1998, commented:
“There is no better way to learn than getting involved in real-life projects.”
A former competitor from Delft University, who took part in 2004, and is now a Project Engineer at Shell said:
“Formula Student taught me that anything you pursue with passion will open doors.”
While university teams are working hard to finalise their cars – as well as the vital presentation and marketing elements of their entries – a range of related events are coming together to enhance the Silverstone experience.
Silverstone UTC and the University of Northampton
Neil Patterson, Principal of Silverstone University Technical College (UTC) since March 2013, has years of automotive engineering success with McLaren behind him. Now, his challenge is to train and inspire a new generation of engineers. He sees Formula Student as a perfect arena to bring school students, industry chiefs and the future stars of motorsport engineering together.
Neil has seen and experienced the benefits for engineers and for the motorsports industry, where Formula Student participation is, he says, like a ‘gigantic tick’ on the application of a prospective recruit. To this end, Silverstone UTC and the University of Northampton asked the Institution if college students (aged 14-18) could get involved.
“The University of Northampton is our sponsor university at the UTC. The Institution granted permission for UTC students to support Northampton’s Formula Student team, and they now work in the capacity of a supplier on the design and build of the vehicle, with the specifications and directions and full scope of the project overseen by the Northampton team. The build is taking place here at the UTC.”
“There are great benefits for our students: they are seeing the practical application of everything they are learning in the classroom. They will hit the ground running if and when they go to university and take part in FS in the future; it’s a personal advantage for them, and for the teams that they could hope to join in their ongoing university careers.”
Ben Phillips is the project leader for the UTC FS team, and is currently in Year 12. He is focusing on achieving goals set by the University of Northampton and coordinating the work between the two organisations, while maintaining a “hands-on approach to the stuff I enjoy most.” Ben says:
“It’s been an amazing experience and I’ve enjoyed gaining the practical and theoretical knowledge required for the design and set-up of a race car – especially as I’m one of the youngest students ever to take part. This will be of great benefit in the future as I pursue a career in the high performance motorsport industry.”
Big Bang@Silverstone
Big Bang@Silverstone is taking place on 11th July, hosted by the UTC in collaboration with Engineering UK, and running concurrently with Formula Student, offering around 300 Year 7-Year 9 students the chance to take part in a number of science and engineering workshops, to view the Paddock and experience the thrill of a motorsport competition.
“School students will come to Silverstone UTC, they will have great fun at Big Bang, learn about the Institution and enjoy the fantastic privilege of being at Formula Student. They will be inspired by all that is going on around them, created by hard-working engineering students not much older than themselves.”
Formula Student Ambassadors
The Institution is delighted to welcome Paddy Lowe, Executive Director (Technical) Mercedes AMG Petronas. Paddy and Mike Gascoyne, Chief Technical Officer of the Caterham Group, will both take part in the part in the Formula Student opening ceremony Q&A, on Wednesday 9th July.
After graduating with an engineering degree from Sidney Sussex College, University of Cambridge, Paddy has worked in various capacities in Formula One since 1987.
His first experience in the premier class of motor racing came as Joint-Head of Electronics during a six-year stint with the Williams team. In 1993, Paddy moved to McLaren, where he worked for two decades, becoming Engineering Director from 2005 to 2011, playing a key role in Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 World Championship success before his promotion to Technical Director in January 2011. He joined Mercedes AMG Petronas in 2013.
Robert Bosch UK Partners Formula Student
Formerly a Gold Sponsor of the event, Bosch is proud to have become a Partner in Formula Student 2014. David Fulker, Head of UK Marketing for Bosch Automotive Technology, explains how the Formula Student Diesel Eco-Driving Challenge has, in only its second year, become part of the Silverstone experience.
“Last year, the inaugural competition took place across the UK in a non-stop eco-driving road test. Now that Robert Bosch UK has become a Partner with Formula Student, we have made the Challenge a three-part feature of Formula Student teams’ participation during the event at Silverstone. It incorporates an on-road eco-drive assessment on a pre-set route, for driver and navigator; an auto-test, taking place in the Paddock; and a quiz followed by a summer BBQ.”
David explains that Bosch is keen to broaden participating engineering students’ knowledge of diesel technology, which features in the Challenge’s Ford Fiesta 1.6D vehicles.
“Small petrol and electric vehicles are essential to Formula Student, but diesel – characterised as clean, economical and powerful – is also an important part in many aspects of automotive technology. Competitors will be finding out about the eco-performance and torque of the cars they drive, both in the on-road test, and the technical manoeuvres in the Paddock, and they will be assessed on the best eco-drive as well as other aspects.”
David emphasises how diesel fuels the winners of motor sport’s endurance races, such as Le Mans. The FS Eco-Challenge winners will be given the opportunity to be driven by Matt Neal, three-time BTCC champion, and part of the Honda Yuasa Racing Team, on the famous Silverstone racing track. He says:
“Formula Student works towards enthusing and engaging our potential future engineers. As a Partner with the Institution on this leading competition, Bosch is proud to bring the FS Diesel Eco-Driving Challenge to Silverstone to represent diesel in automotive technology.”
Learn to Win Live: Mira Test Day
On 16th June, 20 Formula Student teams attended Britain’s paramount car testing ground, at MIRA. The organisation is a sponsor of Formula Student and a world class centre of excellence for vehicle engineering design and development. MIRA’s state-of-the-art facilities, used by every major motor manufacturer, hosted tests for cars’ acceleration, endurance, skid pad and endurance abilities.
Terry Spall, Commercial Director at MIRA Technology Park, said:
“We have been involved with Formula Student for many years, in fact the first ever UK event was held here in 1998.”
“Over the years we have recruited many ex-Formula Student engineers into MIRA as we really do place a high value on the calibre of graduate engineers that come through the competition. It produces very practically minded engineers with good project management skills, the ability to work effectively in a team and strive for success in a very competitive environment and also engineers with a stronger level of commercial awareness.”
“Employer engagement with Formula Student, such as our sponsorship in providing this testing day, allows us to work together with the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and contribute to inspiring the next generation to consider engineering as a rewarding career choice.”
Formula Student Chairman, Jon Hilton
Formula Student embodies supreme ground-work for a career in the automotive industry and motor sport engineering, as Chairman, Jon Hilton, commented:
“Formula Student plays an important role in the development of young engineers. Many study at universities with excellent engineering departments, and Formula Student takes this forward by offering them vital, real-world engineering experience and the opportunity to meet recruiters from many of the world’s top automotive and engineering firms."
“It’s mentally and physically demanding, frustrating at times and really does push students to the limits of their engineering capabilities. But it’s also a brilliant opportunity to create and innovate as part of a close knit team, forging friendships and experiences you’ll remember forever. It also looks fantastic on your CV.”
Formula Student is made possible by the hard work and commitment of student engineering teams, and by suppliers in industry and manufacturing. In addition, each year, 250 people volunteer their time as judges, marshals and facilitators. Their engagement, as engineers, inspires the young spectators. It also helps ensure a safe and smooth-running competition at Silverstone.
The Institution is grateful to all the volunteers, and would also like to acknowledge, with great thanks, Formula Student’s sponsors, partners and supporters.
Buy tickets for Formula Student and don’t miss the Formula Student Yearbook.
Tickets are available for purchase on site from the Welcome Centre:
| | Member
| Non-Member
| Under 16 |
3 day pass
| £20* | £25*
| Free |
1 day pass
| £13* | £15*
| Free |
* prices include VAT
Download the 2014 event maps