Year Nine Engineers Experience STEM in Action at Williams F1

Despite the low temperatures gripping the UK last Thursday due to Storm Goretti, Year Nine engineers were buzzing with excitement as they set off for the STEM experience at Williams F1 headquarters in Oxfordshire.

This trip was a chance to step into the shoes of professional engineers and achieve an insight into careers in mechanical engineering and motorsport. The STEM highlight was the ‘Nose Cone Challenge’. The pupils were split into teams and given the responsibility of running their own mini-constructor’s team, taking on roles like Project Manager, Designer and Financial Controller. The pressure was on to design a crash structure that could protect their ‘driver’ from a high-impact collision.

It was intense watching the prototypes face the crash test ramp! Some survived, and some were… destroyed, but it gave a brilliant insight into the problem-solving and teamwork required to keep F1 drivers safe. It showed that engineering isn’t just about theory; it is about creativity, budget management and testing ideas to the limit.

The pupils also had the privilege of touring the Williams Grand Prix Collection, the largest private collection of F1 cars in the world. Seeing the evolution of the cars from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s to the modern hybrid era was fantastic. It was amazing to see the actual cars driven by Nigel Mansell and George Russell right up close.

The pupils also hit the track themselves… virtually. They jumped into the professional Esports simulators to race on iconic circuits such as the Circuit of the Americas, and the Red Bull Ring.

Former RGS pupil Amy Murphy works at Williams F1. Amy was Captain of the RGS Greenpower Racing Team when she was at the School and she has now gone on to work for a world famous F1 Racing Team, proving that RGS really can take you to the top in your chosen career!

This was an unforgettable day that opened the pupils’ eyes to where STEM subjects can actually take them in the future. The pupils returned to School inspired, with a much better idea of what it takes to succeed in the world of high-performance engineering.

Mr A Stuart, Teacher of Design Technology