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Future engineering stars crowned as Formula Student 2026 delivers thrilling Silverstone showdown

Formula Student Team

The chequered flag has fallen on Formula Student 2026, with Edith Cowan University crowned champions after five days of high-speed action, engineering excellence and fierce competition at Silverstone.

The team beat off competition from more than 100 universities to take the title, finishing ahead of University of Modena and University of Birmingham in one of the world's toughest student engineering competitions.

University of Liverpool are the winners of the Concept Class event, while Oxford Brookes University won the FS-AI autonomous vehicle competition.

But Formula Student is about far more than crossing the finish line.

From the first scrutineering check to the final Endurance run, thousands of future engineers spent the week proving they have the innovation, teamwork and technical skills to tackle some of engineering's biggest challenges.

Alongside the overall championship, teams battled for honours across Engineering Design, Endurance, Sprint, Acceleration, Business Presentation, Cost & Manufacturing and Formula Student AI.

The full list of winners is available here.

This year's competition also saw a higher scrutineering pass rate, the first hybrid vehicle winner and increased number of AI entries, highlighting the ever-rising standard of the competition.

Dan Jones, Formula Student Chief Judge, said:

"Formula Student isn't about building the fastest car. It's about building better engineers. Every challenge the teams face mirrors the sort of problems they will encounter in industry - designing under pressure, managing budgets, solving technical issues, working as a team and delivering against demanding deadlines.

Those are the skills employers are looking for, and that's why Formula Student continues to produce engineers who go on to make a real impact across Formula 1, motorsport and the wider engineering profession."

Joyce Achampong, Senior Leadership Lead Formula Student at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said:

"Formula Student is so much more than a competition. It's where the next generation of engineers discover what they are capable of. Over the last few days, we have seen incredible innovation, resilience and teamwork from every university that has taken part.

Whether they've stood on the podium or not, every student leaves Silverstone with the practical skills, confidence and experience that will help shape their future careers. That's exactly why Formula Student exists - to inspire, develop and celebrate the engineers who will help solve tomorrow's biggest challenges.

On behalf of the team from the Institution, I would like to thank our army of volunteers and sponsors working across the competition to deliver our biggest and best event.”

Formula Student, organised by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, is one of Europe's premier student engineering competitions, helping launch careers across Formula 1, motorsport, automotive, aerospace and advanced engineering.

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