What is Formula Student?
Formula Student is the biggest and best of its kind in Europe. Run by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), in partnership with Airbus, Autodesk, Honda Racing F1 Team, IET, Learning Grid, National Instruments, RS Components, Shell and Toyota, it promotes careers and excellence in engineering, by challenging university students to design, build, develop, market and compete as a team with a small single seater racing car.
It provides the students with a real-life exercise in design and manufacture and the business elements of automotive engineering. It teaches them all about team working, under pressure and to tight timescales. It demands total commitment, lots of late nights, and many frustrations and challenges along the way, but the net result is the development of highly talented young engineers.
Formula Student attracts entries from universities all over the World, from the UK, mainland Europe and from the Americas, Asia and Australasia. For the universities, Formula Student represents a valuable project that blends academic work and learning with the development of practical engineering skills. They are increasingly using it to attract school leavers to their degree programmes, and to forge closer links with local industry.
The automotive and motorsport industries in particular, and many other high technology engineering companies, know just how important the continuing supply of high quality engineers is to their success. For them, involvement in Formula Student helps them maintain and develop that supply. At a time when many university engineering courses have difficulty filling their places, Formula Student uses the excitement and appeal of motorsport to open young minds to the world of possibilities that a career in engineering involves, and gives them a wealth of real experience to prepare them for success in that career.
For the purpose of the competition, the students are to assume that a manufacturing firm has engaged them to produce a prototype car for evaluation. The intended sales market is the non professional weekend autocross or sprint racer. Therefore, the car must have very high performance in terms of its acceleration, braking, and handling qualities. The car must be low in cost, easy to maintain, and reliable. In addition, the car's marketability is enhanced by other factors such as aesthetics, comfort and use of common parts. The manufacturing firm is planning to produce 1000 cars per year at a cost below $25,000 (c. £16,000, €21,000) . The challenge to the team is to design and fabricate a prototype car that best meets these objectives. Each design is compared and judged with other competing designs to determine the best overall car.
Why get involved?
Young engineering students and graduates are exposed to marketing, time management, project management, team building, budgeting, presentation skills, and other management issues. Through Formula Student, they develop experience, skills and professionalism as “hands on” engineers, with a keen awareness of the often competing pressures of performance, cost, safety, reliability and regulatory compliance. The benefit to students is immense and is good experience for newly qualified engineers preparing to enter a career in motorsport, the automotive industry or many other areas of high performance engineering.
Companies involved with Formula Student through sponsorship get face to face access to these highly skilled young engineers, who could be viewed both as potential recruits and as potential future customers. Formula Student provides opportunities in brand awareness and sales, so whether you are an OEM, Tier 1 supplier, or SME, there are real business benefits to be gained!
How did it start?
In the United States SAE Inc started running their Formula SAE programme in 1981. In 1998 two US cars and two UK cars competed in a demonstration UK Event that was held at the MIRA Proving Ground . The initiative was considered to be very worthwhile in providing students with excellent learning opportunities and practical skills. The IMechE accepted the management of the European venture in a partnership with SAE. Formula Student is different from Formula SAE in that it is designed to be a progressive learning exercise throughout a three or four year academic course. However, the same rules are used for both Formula Student and Formula SAE (with some minor changes) and this means student teams can enter their cars in the Formula SAE in the US , Formula Student and Formula SAE in Australia .
The Annual Formula Student Event, where teams have their work judged by Industry specialists and demonstrate the performance of the car, is held at the end of each academic year normally in early July. It should be stressed that it is not simply the fastest car that wins; students have to balance speed with safety, reliability, cost and good handling qualities.
Who’s eligible?
The full entry requirements can be found on the "Rules" page. Teams are formed by recognised Academic Institutions. Team members must be students studying for a recognised qualification, or have recently graduated. Although it is not necessary, we encourage all entrants to be members of the IMechE or SAE.