Aussies on podium at F1 in Schools world finals

Three Australian teams have placed third, fourth and 22nd respectively in the world finals of the 2020/21 F1 in Schools championship, which is billed as the world’s most competitive STEM competition and attracts 17,000 schools across 44 countries.

Established in Australia in 2003 by Re-Engineering Australia Foundation (REA), the F1 in Schools Australian program brings real-world career-relevant activities to an age-appropriate and engaging multi-faceted STEM program where students build and race a miniature Formula 1 car.

The program aims to equip students with enterprise and employability skills as they enter the workforce, including project management, problem-solving, communication, teamwork, innovation, collaboration, marketing and entrepreneurial endeavours.

The competition is open to students aged 11-18 years of age, with different class categorisations taking into account age, experience and competition pathways such as regional, state, national and world finals.

The 2020 season saw 93 Australian schools comprising 2060 students compete in the REA-run program at both a state and national level.

And making it to the finals is hard work.

The program focuses on a step process of design, analysis, make, test, race and review amidst nine key judging criteria: adherence to specifications, engineering (CAD, manufacturing and design process), portfolio (project management and future careers), portfolio (design clarity and quality), marketing (branding and trade display), verbal presentations (technique and content) and racing.

Students learn to use computer-aided design (CAD) software to design the car, followed by the use of computational fluid dynamic (CFD) and finite element analysis (FEA) tools to refine and rework their cars before production of final-submission vehicles.

The vehicles are made of balsa wood via a computer numerical control (CNC) router, often in addition to 3D printing, carbon-fibre and other creative processes which are also permitted, all in accordance with stringent technical specifications and build regulations. 

Months of work culminates in race day where the CO2-powered miniature race cars are propelled along a 20m track reaching speeds of up to 80km/h!

In 2020/21 it was Team Nebula from Wesley College in Perth who placed third outright, Team Dark Matter from the Gold Coast Christian College, Queensland placed fourth and Team Celestial’s combined entry from Magdalene Catholic College Narellan and Pacific Hills Christian School Sydney, Dural placed 22nd.

In a final that saw 42 teams from 18 countries compete for the world title, Brittania Red from Robert May’s School, Hampshire, in the UK was crowned the Aramco F1 in Schools World Champions for 2020/21.

Dr Michael Myers OAM, founder and chairman of Re-Engineering Australia Foundation, commended the Australian students for their ability to adapt in the face of extraordinary circumstances during COVID-19 restrictions.

“Australian students, and Australians in general, have always been good at handling the tyranny of distance,” he said. “For those located in the bush, there is the added impact of isolation.

“F1 in Schools is a program that promotes and develops student skills in innovation, communication, teamwork and collaboration over long distances.

“While the COVID environment has made many things more taxing, students have worked around issues in different ways. When confronted with complex problems, their resilience and adaptability are huge advantages.

“Students usually develop solutions to problems before they even know there’s a problem. We believe we have successfully achieved high student outcomes by never telling the students that there’s a problem.

“We keep pointing at what they have to complete and leaving the rest to them.  Their mantra soon becomes, ‘No one said we couldn’t’.”

Myers said that Australia routinely produces world-class students, evidenced by championship-winning teams in past competitions (2006, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018) as well as numerous podium places.

And the program’s success?

The program’s influence in changing the perception of STEM-related careers is unquestionable, with the REA reporting that 81 per cent of students surveyed have indicated that they have changed their career aspirations to be STEM-based due to their participation.

F1 in Schools Australia is also a step forward for diversity and encouraging young females to consider STEM subjects, with a female participation rate of up to 35 per cent.

Head to the REA F1 in Schools website for more information and details of how to get involved.