Teams gear up as Formula Student finals approach

More than 130 teams have registered for Formula Student as the competition celebrates its 25th year at Silverstone this July. All eyes will be on the former winners Cardiff University, Sheffield University, University of Modena in Italy and University of Glasgow, who will be looking to earn their second win.

These four former winners will join more than 100 other teams looking to showcase their expertise and vehicles, including many teams from Germany, Sweden, Turkey, Serbia and Italy who are returning to the competition. Formula Student tasks teams of university students to design and produce a working prototype for a single-seater race car, creating well-rounded engineers that have practical experience. Their engineering knowledge is tested during formal presentations that demonstrate the decisions behind their car at the finals event held at Silverstone.

These are followed by tests of their car’s performance in dynamic events held along the National Pit Straight and Copse Corner of the Silverstone circuit, which are designed to test vehicle reliability and performance in terms of acceleration, braking and handling.

For the first time in the history of the competition, 2023 will see more entrants building electric vehicles than any other engine type, reflecting the growing importance for students to get experience in this technology before going into industry. This year also includes additional entrants featuring hybrid powertrains and alternative fuels, with the competition providing the perfect platform for young engineers to develop their skills in non-traditional vehicle development.

There has been continued growth in the FS-AI competition since its inception in 2019, with 20 teams taking up the challenge for autonomous vehicle development this year. The entrants represent the most diverse list of teams to date, with students from Portugal, Ireland, Spain, India, France and Egypt entering alongside new and returning entries from the UK.

Simulation event

The organisers are also running a full Sim Racing series, following the inaugural series last year that was won by a team led by Michael Preston from Southampton University Formula Student Team, who went on to win the prestigious Autosport Williams Engineer of the Future Award 2022. Each month will see Formula Student and FSAE teams around the world participating in races using the Assetto Corsa simulation software, leading to some friendly and competitive racing that is streamed live online via the Formula Student YouTube channel. This will culminate in a final series of races alongside the multi-day event at Silverstone.

Future secured

Naomi Rolfe, project manager of the Formula Student competition, said: “It is great to see the continued excitement from students for Formula Student and seeing teams develop their designs into working vehicles. It proves that the future of engineering is in good hands.

“I’m particularly keen to see how the FS-AI teams perform and how they will leverage the expertise and tools they have built up over previous years. Also it will be fascinating to see how the teams who are entering an EV car for the first time get on with this new technology.

“We look forward to welcoming all teams to Silverstone this summer and wish all teams the best of luck.”

Find out more and book tickets on the Formula Student page.