How to get a job with an F1 team

[Shi Ruan]

Hello. First post here, and maybe a bit of a presumptuous one at that. But it kinda' doubles as an introduction. Killing two birds with one stone.


Anyway, I'm just wondering how on earth one could get a job(any job, really) with a F1 team. The whole atmosphere just really appeals to me. I love to travel, I obviously love F1, love the technology etc.

I don't expect to actually do it, but I'm just wondering how someone with my background would.

So, a little bio: I'm a 17, almost 18 year old highschool student in the US[yeah, I don't think I'd get a job in f1 any time soon, but I'm talking about eventually]. I bike(the human powered verity) a lot, and love working on my bike on the weekends(taking it apart, cleaning it, readjusting everything compulsively), and am quite mechanically inclined. I'm rather intelligent and a good writer(Always score very well on IQ tests and such in that regard). While I know I must come across as something of a self-aggrandizing jackass here, I'm generally considered to be a really nice guy and very personable, if not a bit introverted.

Anyway, I plan on going to school for economics, politics, or philosophy... something in academia probably. Nothing really f1 related, but I'm an autodidact and love to learn on my own time. Anyway, so I think I'd be suited for a couple of different careers in that regard.

How does one go about becoming an f1 mechanic? How about the Race Engineers?

Of course, I realize that this isn't probably a real possibility, I'm just curious. I've never really had a desire to be personally famous, but what would be amazing about this kind of job is that my work would be famous, the product of my efforts in whatever small regard.

But yeah, thanks in advance for any comments. And I love the forum here, keep up the good work.

[West]

I wrote to Renault F1 a while ago. Basically, they said in high school get great grades in math and science; at the university level, do the same thing in engineering. I highly doubt the teams would take any other type of major with concerns to design work. Get heavily involved with projects somewhat related to F1 racing and/or transportation.

If you are willing to move to Europe, you would probably try to join a mechanics' guild (I have no idea what the US equivalent is) and gain some experience with them. Then move onto a junior formula series; at the time I wrote, it was F3000.

If you can, you may want to shoot AeroGT a PM, he recently got accepted by an F1 team but rejected the offer.

[simtek101]

How does one go about becoming an f1 mechanic?

I had been a Vauxhall Technician (Electronics, EM) for 12 years before I began looking for a job in F1 (94/95)..

Basically I sent my CV out to a number of teams (in response to ads in Autosport, etc)..

I got knocked back by most teams..

Benneton sent me a really nice 'No thanks'..

However, Simtek (Nick Wirth) gave me a glimmer of hope..

He responded positively and said that there may be an opening in the near future..

Then came the 1995 season...!

At the end of '95 I met my future wife and in time (after two kids) I put my motorsport asperations on hold..

Where they remain...

Practical experience tends to help in certain posts..

Read Steve Matchett's book, 'The Mechanic's Tale'...

Cheers

K

[Scuderia_Russ]

Personally I would get my hands dirty and get involved in any level of motorsport you can, and in any way you can. A mechanical engineering degree would be a good step then who knows. But you have to get out there, start talking to people, working with weekend warriors for free to get that all important experience.

[PNSD]

At school my teachers son worked for Jordan as a mechanic.

GCSE grades, two... Maths and English at C's.
Any other grades, no.

So why did they have him?

Basically since he was born he spent his life in a garage. If anything I would say experience is key, not knowledge, because you will learn that in the sport.

[simtek101]

At the time I was looking for F1 work I had 5 'O' Levels and an HNC in Mech engineering..

However, the 12 years of practical experience as a mechanic probably stood out more to those at Simtek..

Having said that, that was back in 1995...

K

[Tom]

I here Formula SAE is something all teams look for now adays, I'm in a very similar situation to you, same age, just trying to force myself into the motorsport world, I suggest you find a good uni that does engineering, I don't know if Motorsport Engineering is common in the states but that's what I aspire to get here, make sure you get in touch with some of the teams and see if you can arrange a work placement during the summer, it doesn't have to be an F1 team obviously but you need to act now if you want to get noticed.

I think the Matchett's book is probably outdated already, he got into Benneton by working in a Ferrari road car garage and picking up some knowledge which some teams were interested in. From there though nothing has changed, you just have to keep pushing, jumping higher than the rest and eventually reaching the top.

[AeroGT3]

Your choice of major in college is going to SEVERELY restrict the number of positions open to you in F1, nearly to the point of it being impossible to get in. Economics and philosophy are almost irrelevant to F1, especially if you want to do anything technical. Race engineers are often engineers with extensive academic and professional backgrounds.

[DTM310]

Robert is absolutely right, becoming a mechanic in F1 is a right of passage, only realized by a series of accomplishments throughout motor sport.

I too once had aspirations of working in F1 and I was lucky enough to get as far as the BTCC, that was 3 of the most fulfilling years of my life and I am thankful for every second of learning and knowledge I gained through that experience. I am now in Aerospace Engineering and find great similarities in the work on aircraft design as I did in BTCC.

In short the more experience you gain by actually doing the hands on, will be very beneficial to you once you enter an accredited degree program. WHY? Because the more hands on experience you have in dealing with the actual spatial relation of parts and their operation on a vehicle, will greatly help you to understand the way engineering is done and the way design is arrived at on every component.

Good luck for the future.

[wrk]

try this on for size...
http://jobs-williamsf1.icims.com/willia ... /intro.jsp

[modbaraban]

try this on for size...
http://jobs-williamsf1.icims.com/willia ... /intro.jsp

They have a driver's vacancy as well

[Belatti]

It is very difficult to reach F1 from here (Argentina). I know there are only 3 persons who made it:
- Enrique Scalabroni: former Ferrari, now owns a GP2 team
- Sergio Rindland: former Fondmetal, Sauber, now BMW (I think )
-these two are old folks-
- and another guy from Honda wich I don´t remember its name.
And another who makes supercars (The arquitect Horacio Pagani)

What I did was the following: at 18 began a Mechanical Engineering career in UTN (Universidad Tecnologica Nacional -free public uni- only I can afford) and joined a TC (Turismo Carretera, argentinian serie) team as a volunteer (was in charge of some important tasks as floor sweeping, helping the cook and ordering tools) but that gave me a good experience in knowing how a 10 person 1 car team works and organizes.
After 2 years the crisis hit the country and I had to find a job because my family needed that and I entered first in 3M in the engineer area and then in Federal Mogul piston plant (as manufacturing engineer). Now I´m in BASF -engineer area too-. Without free time, my adventure with TC was over soon.
I´m hoping that this year will be my career´s last year (it went from 5 years to 7 due to work and bus traveling time loss) and will be able to make some free time so I can go back to a racing team, hoping for a better position.

F1? Its a dream, maybe it comes true... who can tell...

[rkn]

- and another guy from Honda wich I don´t remember its name.

you mean mariano alperin bruvera? think he just went to bmw from honda

[kurtiejjj]

- Sergio Rindland: former Fondmetal, Sauber, now BMW (I think )

He know works for a UK team that runs Aston DBR9s, I can't remember the name of the team.

F1 will be difficult to reach for anyone, you have the best in what you do, even the motorhome dish-washer chap should have some qualit no other dishwasher has.

Anyway I do international bussiness, and it would be great to find a workplacement with a formula 1 team in the UK or another high level motorsport series, WTCC, GP2 etc. I still have to 2 years to go before that stage comes around.

I think I might have a chance at the commercial department, or as junior buyer or PR assistant, I can speak 4 languages, so I might be of any help.

[Belatti]

Yeah, you are right, it was Mariano Alperin.

Another thing to add: you lucky English have Motorsport Engineering, I envy you (in a healthy way)
Here Mech Eng is all you have, appart from a 2 year course of Racing Automobiles.