Travelling from around the globe, 51 teams of talented students from 23 countries will compete for the accolade of F1 in Schools World Champions 2018 and with this, scholarships for City, University London and UCL Engineering, as well as a new Formula 1 World Champions trophy to be presented by Chase Carey, CEO of Formula 1. The competition is a multi-disciplined test of skills embracing Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths, design and management, with the teams mirroring Formula 1 in real life, designing, testing and racing a miniature F1 car with marketing, sponsorship and brand programmes. They present their work to a panel of judges, with over 45 specialists from industry, Formula 1 and education, evaluating the varying elements within the students’ work.

The core of F1 in Schools is the racing car, an intricate model designed and built to detailed rules and regulations by team members using 3D CAD/CAM software. The models are propelled by compressed air along a 20-metre track and the current world record stands at 0.916 seconds, with a speed of 78.6 kph (48.8mph), set by an Australian team at the 2016 World Finals.



This year’s event will feature 500 races, covering a distance that equates to two laps of the Singapore Marina Bay circuit. The gap between the fastest and slowest cars at last year’s World Finals was just 0.357 seconds. Each car is ‘driven’ by a team member, with a trigger button releasing the car when five lights go out, just as in the start of an F1 race. Reaction times for this are quick too, with the best time of 0.112 seconds last year by a team from Jordan. All the teams will be eager to beat this in 2018.



The week-long World Finals, drawing together the best students from National competitions, not only assesses all aspects of the students’ work, it provides them with life long memories from the cultural, social and sporting experiences included in their trip. In addition to four days of intensive competition, the students will have a day to enjoy some of Sentosa’s top attractions and after the judging is finished and champions crowned, they will have an exclusive Marina Bay circuit tour and pit lane walk before the race weekend.



Andrew Denford, Founder and Chairman of F1 in Schools, says of this year’s World Finals, “I’m very excited that we’re heading to Singapore for this year’s event. It will be the third time we’ve staged our event in the country, a testament to the welcome we have and the experience it offers our students. F1 in Schools goes from strength to strength, inspiring students to appreciate how much Engineering can offer for an exciting career, opening up many future employment opportunities as well as adding enormous value to a CV.



He adds, “The World Finals is the culmination of many months and often years of work by the students and the time, passion, energy, devotion that they have for F1 in Schools is just incredible. I’m always very proud to see how the students develop their confidence and skills during the competition. We keep in touch with many of our ‘alumni’ and we now have students in the Formula 1 paddock, working with teams, suppliers and sponsors, who prove just how valuable competing in F1 in Schools can be. I look forward to meeting all this year’s competitors in Singapore and I’m sure it will be a close competition for pole position and the World Champions crown.”



Launch day for the event is 9th September, with the opening ceremony preceding three days of intensive competition. The Awards Celebration Gala Dinner with a guest list headed by Chase Carey, CEO of Formula one, representatives from each of the Formula 1 teams and invited industry personnel, will take place on 12th September with the announcement of the World Champions and presentation of 23 awards supported by the Formula 1 teams, suppliers and F1 in Schools partners.



The F1 in Schools World Finals 2018 is held with the support of a host of sponsors including Formula 1, Denford, The Institution of Engineering and Technology, Autodesk, FIA Women in Motorsport Commission, City University of London, UCL Engineering, Acronis, Singapore Tourism Board, Singapore GP and Resorts World Sentosa.

For more information on F1 in Schools, click here.