Steps to Get Into F1 Team

[krisfx]

Red Bull do an internship scheme that I went through (First year mechanical engineer), they asked to complete a simple game online, submit an application (blank piece of paper) and then a video interview, then you get down to interview at the red bull factory.

I got to interview and only 50 in over 100,000 got there, and it's tough, but that was my best opportunity as I now have contact details for aerodynamicists at red bull for my placement year - Like people have said F1 isn't about working trackside, i've witnessed the work environment in the red bull factory first hand, and it looks brilliant.

If you want to follow motorsport, don't pursue a career in it, as you'll see very little racing, however you should know this before you apply and should realise that most of your bits won't see the car, but the rewards for getting it right will be greater if it's so hard to achieve...


The aerodynamicists told me that there's no greater feeling...

[gerishnikov]

The trick to getting into a F1 team is.....

Its not what you know, its who you know
Teams are built on networking, everybody knows everybody in this industry, Chances are if apply a job people would be asked 'do you know mr x?' and if nobody does then you will very often get discarded. This is a very close knit industry we are talking about. I would put money on there being plently registered members on here working for f1 teams of course nobody is going to say that on an open fourm though

[Jersey Tom]

The trick to getting into a F1 team is.....

Its not what you know, its who you know
Teams are built on networking, everybody knows everybody in this industry, Chances are if apply a job people would be asked 'do you know mr x?' and if nobody does then you will very often get discarded.

I don't think I'd go that far. Certainly helps if people can vouch for you so you're not an unknown, but potential talent won't be mindlessly discarded based on that.

Really the two things (what, and who you know) aren't mutually exclusive... they often go hand in hand. The more you establish and make a name for yourself through work experience (lower formulae, suppliers, other teams) or high level education, the more you'll be known and networked.

[zyphro]

I got to interview and only 50 in over 100,000 got there, and it's tough, but that was my best opportunity as I now have contact details for aerodynamicists at red bull for my placement year
.

That's great. Congratulations!

[zyphro]

This is a very close knit industry we are talking about. I would put money on there being plently registered members on here working for f1 teams of course nobody is going to say that on an open fourm though

Funnily enough, I believe Andy Latham quite frequently visits the forums over on autosport (according to a member on there).

[grano123]

The trick to getting into a F1 team is.....

Its not what you know, its who you know
Teams are built on networking, everybody knows everybody in this industry, Chances are if apply a job people would be asked 'do you know mr x?' and if nobody does then you will very often get discarded. This is a very close knit industry we are talking about. I would put money on there being plently registered members on here working for f1 teams of course nobody is going to say that on an open fourm though

You hit the nail on the head there pal.........

With the costs involved in F1 today, employing people with a track record known by others, is simply the most logical step to take, and alleviates perhaps taking an expensive gamble on unknowns.

It however, does make those first steps into the business somewhat difficult for outsiders wanting to get in. But if anyone is serious about wanting to work in F1, they will find a way.

[marcush.]

x has worked in F1? I do not necessarily believe in you need people with F1 experience to be competitive...As Caterham ,Marussia ,HRT..it does simply not come down to experience .
If at all you hire critical knowledge -cutting edge knowledge .It looks like Gascoyne ,Willis ,Costa ,Bell ,Brawn ,Michael ,
Clear ,Shovlin,Symmonds etetc don´t have things on offer that would make a difference in terms of lap time or elapsed time over a race distance.The end of all is :if we had more money .. but Toyota and honda proved to the world it is not the money that makes a winner.
Also drivers .I just don´t see much benefit of employing experience.You employ speed and if the guy happens to be 55 ,who cares...
The teams today put a wrong emphasis on certain non relevant characterics(youth ,experience as a few examples) as without a doubt it is and was always possible to come in at almost any age and rule the show -or not be it driver or mechanic or engineer .
Mind you decdes ago some guys announced to build f3 ,f2 and f1 cars all at once with no experience at all ...they got laughed at at best back then ...well they came in and won as well ...March was that team .
Tell me it´s more difficult todays ..but then there is so much more knowledge readily available as well...and still some teams turn a turd around in 2 months and others develop crap finding ever more excuses for not delivering.

[Work_in_f1]

Hi

I've been reading some of these post about "working in F1". Lots of different opinions about, some of which I agree with, other I very much do not !!!!! For what its worth I am going to add mine !

First of all - I work at a Formula 1 team. I'm not saying which one as my opinion is my own and has nothing to do with my team. I've worked in several different race series and on different cars and so I have reasonable experience of this subject I hope.

I have lots and lots of conversations about this subject and read lots and lots of stuff online about it. Clearly lots of people want to "Work in F1" as it looks fantastically exciting and all the rest of it on TV. I was exactly the same when I was a kid and I set my heart of first of all being a racing driver, and then to work in racing.

Jersey Tom's point about 'working in F1' vs doing a specific job in motorsport is a good one. I see so many people just saying they want to work in F1 but they dont seem to know what. Its fine that you want to work in racing, to be honest that is all I wanted to do at first but if you dont have a specific job in mind, or rather if you dont understand what jobs there are actually out there then you have very little chance.

One big word of advice. DON'T just write an email or a letter to an F1 team saying "Can I have a job please ?". Dont just say "Are there any jobs in your pit crew going ?". If you get any response I'd be amazed. If you really want to work in racing, or in F1 then you need to be a bit smarter than that !!!

I earn my living by working in Formula 1. Its awesome. I absolutely love it. Not every day clearly but if I ever sit down and think about the alternative ways then I very very quickly realise that my job and my career is one of the best ways that I personally could earn a living as I love being involved in racing. I think for many people it would be the same and so if you want to work in racing then you should go for it and find out as much as you. Maybe it isnt for you but I do know that there are 99 out of 100 more boring and dead end jobs than working for a racing team.

How to get there ? Hmmm. Long topic but it clearly isnt impossible and all the of the posts about 'you need to know someone' or 'you need years of experience in lower formulas' etc are all just nonsense. LOTS, and I mean LOTS, of people just get jobs at F1 teams straight out of college or school. Beleive it or not, some people get jobs in F1 who dont really like motorsport and just applied for it because they thought it sounded good. I actually feel pretty passionate about this subject because I was put off time and time again by other people opinions and incorrect knowledge about racing, including my parents, my teacher and my friends. If had listened to them I would never have had the opportunities that I have had in my career and that thought annoys me greatly ! There is no real information out there and I think people who could enjoy a successful career in racing are put off it by a lack of knowledge and people making up nonsense about it.

I'm trying to write a blog / website about working in F1 and motorsport. Its a mixture of describing what the environment of working in a team is like, what sorts of jobs people do, and then what best advice I can give people if they want to pursue a career in racing. Its early days but hopefully in between my (demanding) job and my home life I hope to write enough information on the subject that people can just read it and decide for themselves. Hopefully you will like what i write, perhaps not but either way if you have questions or opinions about what I have said then please feel free to contact me. It should make the information better as a result.

Feel free to come and read it at

http://www.jobinf1.com

Best of luck !