F1 in Schools Final Abu Dhabi

Say what you like about F1, it does have some amazing initiatives surrounding it and I think the absolute peak of those is the F1 in Schools program.

In Abu Dhabi, children from no fewer than 55 schools, from 22 different countries, from all kinds of backgrounds, will be mixing with F1 drivers, engineers and technology of the paddock. The schools are going head to head in the F1 in Schools World Final and their invention, presentation skills and competition skills will be judged by some of the biggest names in motorsport worldwide.

They’ll be flying out to the final race of the year and invited into the F1 paddock to see exactly what goes on behind the scenes and how the big names operate over a race weekend. They’ll be given the opportunity to talk to those people already working in the Formula 1 industry about what they studied, how they got involved in F1 and how to make the most of their time at school in order to line themselves up for a career in racing when they’ve finished.

The F1 in schools program has been around for a few years now and I would imagine that several of the younger engineers in F1 have benefitted from it on their way to a job in motorsport. What better evidence is there that these kinds of initiatives really work and can inspire young people to work in our industry ?

Even those who do not end up in F1 can take an enormous amount of confidence and knowledge about how to apply what they learn at school to real world challenges and how to push technologies to the absolute limit. Taking your ideas and thoughts from paper to reality and seeing them compete head to head with others is one of the biggest enjoyment factors in Formula 1 and these children get to do exactly the same but in a controlled and thankfully cheaper environment.

At their age, to travel to a foreign country, see behind the scenes of a major international sporting event and to have the chance to be crowned World Champions or have their work recognised in a host of other categories is just sensational. Hats off to everyone involves in this at Formula 1 and at F1 in Schools, It is truly an inspiration !!

For more information on F1 in Schools and to keep up with the winners of this year’s competition go to :

https://www.f1inschools.com/