Team Hyperdrive from Australia lifts the F1 in schools World Champions Trophy

Australia claimed the F1 in Schools World Champions 2017 title tonight, with Hyperdrive, a team of four 15-17 year old boys from Trinity Grammar School in Kew, Victoria, being presented with the Formula 1 supported World Champions trophy by Formula 1 CEO, Chase Carey. The talented youngsters narrowly beat 50 teams from 27 countries, with Aurora, an Ireland-Australia collaboration team joining Hyperdrive on the podium in second place. Pioneers from Germany completed the 1-2-3 with third place.

The glittering awards extravaganza, attended by 650 team members, teachers, Malaysian royalty, dignitaries and key Formula 1 paddock personnel celebrated the achievements of the F1 in Schools World Finalists, with the future Engineers and professionals of the Formula 1 industry having worked tirelessly for three days in pursuit of the ultimate prize, to be crowned World Champion and win valuable University scholarships from City, University of London and UCL Engineering, London. They will also be guests of Formula 1 at the 2017 FORMULA 1 PETRONAS MALAYSIA GRAND PRIX, with Paddock Club hospitality, Paddock passes and highly coveted Grid access for race day.

Hyperdrive collected the Williams Racing supported Best Engineered Car Award and were nominated for the McLaren Honda supported Research and Development Award on their way to the ultimate victory, with 16-year-old Team Manager, Hugh Bowman, saying, “ We really didn’t think we’d won, so it was a big shock. The build up was intense, it was unbelievable and it hasn’t really sunk in yet. But if you put your mind to it you can do it. We’ve always done everything to a really high standard and great engineering and I think that was the key to our success. It means everything to us to have won, we’ve worked so hard, but it’s paid off.

He adds, “The goal is definitely F1 – the next Toto Wolff or Christian Horner for me. F1 in Schools has been so important to us, it’s given us so many opportunities and contacts, it’s unbelievable. We really didn’t expect to be going on the grid, it’s just unheard of. I think the new F1 management has contributed to these opportunities and not only are they supporting F1 in Schools, they are making the sport better and engaging with fans like us more which is really good.”

Andrew Denford, Founder and Chairman of F1 in Schools raced Chase Carey at the start of the night, with the Formula 1 chief narrowly beating Andrew in the ‘celebrity race’. Carey’s first attendance at an F1 in Schools World Finals was testament to the value of the F1 in Schools programme to Formula 1. Carey said “My congratulations to all the teams, you guys are incredible, you just blew me away. The passion, the intelligence, the creativity, the maturity that you guys have, it’s just incredible. If our future is in your hands, we’ve got a great future in this world. It’s also tremendously exciting to see so many girls and all-girls teams in the competition, the teams from end to end, were fabulous.  Speaking on behalf of Formula 1, we couldn’t be  prouder of Formula 1 in Schools, it is our official education initiative.

He continued, “Education is second to none in importance today in the world, because it really is our future. And it is particularly important that F1 in Schools’ focus is STEM education as it is an area that is really lacking in so many places in the world and real estate technology and engineering are increasingly the forces that are going to drive the world’s growth. For Formula 1 this is such a natural place for us to align, we’re a unique sport which combines great sporting competition with state of the art technology and it is great opportunity for us to take the sport and bring it to people of your age in real-life application. My only wish is that you continue with the path you’re taking and if you can build on all the things I have seen here today you will have an incredible future ahead of you and hopefully for our benefit that a number of you will end up on Formula 1 teams.”

Andrew Denford said of this year’s World Finals, “I marvel at everything. The teamwork, the displays, the passion, it’s all of the highest standard. It has been an amazing few days with these very talented students and Hyperdrive were just superb, well done guys.

“We are indebted to Chase for making the time to join us this evening and for taking the time to meet so many teams, see their work and celebrate with us. It has already had a massive positive impact. I know all the students really value the support of Formula 1, teams and partners and their presence at our Awards Celebration Gala Dinnner caps off their truly unique trip and experience of a lifetime.”

Every day of the competition has produced excitement, high tension and drama, with the passion of the students shining through in the emotion-charged World Finals. The opening day of the competition, with verbal presentations, portfolio, pit display, engineering judging sessions, as well as the intense pressure of F1 in Schools track racing, gave the teams their first taste of competing at the highest level of this acclaimed global education challenge. Judging continued on the second day with the final round of racing producing the fastest car time of 1.084 seconds, the time set by the UK’s Academy Racing.  The final day featured Knockout Racing, with the head to head battles pitting the German-Australian collaboration, Aurora and Germany’s Pioneers to face each other in the final showdown race, held at last night Awards Celebration Gala Dinner, with Germany’s Pioneers claiming victory.

Eight elated students won places at the prestigious Randstad Wiliams Engineering Academy, after final assessments yesterday. Students from England, Australia, Ireland, Scotland and the USA, were announced by Rob Smedley, Head of Performance Engineering, Williams Racing, on stage at the awards, the third intake to the Academy that takes its students exclusively from F1 in Schools World Finals events each year.

F1 in Schools challenges students to create their own Formula 1 team which is commissioned to design, construct and race the fastest miniature Formula 1 Car of the Future; a 21cm long scale model built from the F1 in Schools model block and powered by a compressed air cylinder. At the World Finals each team brings along a pit display, their cars and a written portfolio, as well as having prepared a verbal presentation for the judges. The cars race on a 20-metre track, with the cars covering the distance in around one second.

The 2017 World Finals was held from 24th to 27th September with three days of intense competition. After all their hard work the students will be rewarded with a trip to Sepang International Circuit tomorrow for an exclusive F1 in Schools pit lane walk and the opportunity to attend the 2017 FORMULA 1 PETRONAS MALAYSIA GRAND PRIX, with the World Champions also being given VIP treatment for race day.

The F1 in Schools World Finals 2017 takes place with the support of a host of sponsors including Formula One Management, Denford Ltd, The Institution of Engineering and Technology, Autodesk, FIA Women in Motor Sport Commission, City University London, UCL Engineering, Sepang International Circuit and DHL.