F1 in Schools, the educational competition backed by Bernie Ecclestone and the F1 teams, is to hold its World Championship finals in Singapore, in the week leading up to the Singapore Grand Prix in September. It will be the culmination of a series of competitions involving an estimated 6 million children worldwide.
F1 in Schools challenges students to use software to design, build and race a miniature Formula 1 car made from balsa wood and powered by a single compressed air cylinder. It has the support of leading F1 engineers including Ross Brawn, Adrian Newey, Sam Michael and Mike Gascoyne. All are patrons of the project and as a fellow patron, I will host the World Championship presentation ceremony.
Last year’s event was held in London and the prizes were handed out by Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull’s Christian Horner.
The 2010 F1 in Schools World Championships will bring together National Champions from F1 in Schools competitions around the globe, representing over 30 countries, as well as a number of collaborative teams with teams from two different countries competing together. The programme raises awareness of Formula One among the young and promotes science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
The students use CAD/CAM software to design, build and test a model compressed air powered balsa wood F1 car of the future and it takes place in over 30 countries around the world, with an estimated 6 million school children competing.
It is a very important programme for F1 as it reaches out to a demographic which the sport has traditionally found it hard to reach. It also encourages children to consider a career in engineering, which they might not have done otherwise.
For more information go to F1 in Schools Global Home