Australian engineering student wins 12-month F1 placement

An Australian university student has won a coveted 12-month placement with the Renault Sport Formula One team, having taken out the 2018 Infiniti Engineering Academy.

RMIT University student James Gourley secured the position last week after a frenetic trackside battle held in the lead-up to  the Singapore Grand Prix.

Twenty-five-year-old Gourley, originally from Christchurch in New Zealand, beat nine other finalists in a display watched on by a panel of judges from the sporting and science spectrums.

“Gourley demonstrated to be a worthy winner as he tackled the numerous tests involved in the final event, including an engineering exam, one-to-one interviews with the judges, a dragster car build, challenges especially designed for the occasion by a team from Harvard University and by Renault Sport Formula One Team, and facing the media in a tough Q&A session where journalists from different industries evaluated his communication skills,” Infiniti said in a press release.

“Gourley will relocate to the UK in January 2019 and be provided with a competitive salary, an INFINITI company car, travel and accommodations for one year.

“The automotive engineering student at RMIT University, will spend six months working at the Renault Formula One Team’s Technical Center in the UK (Enstone) and six months at INFINITI’s European Technical Center (Cranfield). He will play a key role in the ongoing transfer of technical knowledge and expertise between Renault Sport Formula One Team and INFINITI.”

Courley acknowledged the win would place him in extremely good stead for life after university.

“I still can’t believe that I have won! This is the place to be - Formula 1 is the cream of the crop. Winning the INFINITI Engineering Academy and having this opportunity is a dream come true!”.