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F1 career help.

Would a degree in physics and a post grad degree in motorsport engineering be a good way of getting a job as an F1 engineer? I would really like to study physics at uni, so would a post grad (Msc course), on top of that, make me stand out?

Reply 1

Helloworld_95

I don't think it would make you stand out, you would be better off doing a mechanical engineering MEng at one of the universities with a reputation for getting people into F1 (Imperial's one of them, I'm pretty sure there are other ones which don't have as high entry requirements but I can't think of them right now as it's not really my area of interest).

One of the important things for getting into something like F1 is doing Formula Student, and a lot of Formula Student teams restrict entry to engineers only (and often just mechanical and occasionally aerospace engineers can join). So if you're doing Physics you would only be able to do 1 year of formula student, if that as again some teams will only recruit 1st years (and I don't know if there are restrictions on postgrads working on FS), compared to 4 years if you did engineering as your undergrad.

Also by doing just an MSc in engineering you miss out on a lot of the content that someone with a BEng or MEng would learn, and you may be limited in what MSc courses you can take as nowadays quite a few are asking for your previous degree to consist majoritively of engineering modules or something to that effect.

Reply 2

Jamie Strachan

I have had advice from others and they strongly agree with what you said. However my parents are still insistent on me doing physics annoyingly. Thank you very much for the reply.

Reply 3

Doones

Original post by Jamie Strachan

I have had advice from others and they strongly agree with what you said. However my parents are still insistent on me doing physics annoyingly. Thank you very much for the reply.

Tell your parents if you want to be an engineer you pretty fundamentally need to do engineering. It's the path of least resistance. Other routes are possible, but make life more complicated.

Edit to add: Bath is pretty hot on Formula Student
http://teambathracing.com/our-story/

And for example has 10 alumni at Mercedes F1
https://www.linkedin.com/school/9332/alumni?facetCurrentCompany=2730447

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 4

Doones

Indeed if you look at LinkedIn company profiles you can see the educational background of their employees.

e.g. Mercedes F1
https://www.linkedin.com/search/results/people/?facetCurrentCompany=%5B%222730447%22%5D

Loughborough has 19 alumni
https://www.linkedin.com/search/results/people/?facetCurrentCompany=%5B%222730447%22%5D&facetSchool=%5B%2212615%22%5D&origin=FACETED_SEARCH&school=

Imperial, 20 alumni
Cambridge, 15 alumni
Oxford Brookes, 20 alumni
etc

(not all are in engineering roles of course - you will need to drill down to check).

Reply 5

Helloworld_95

Original post by Jamie Strachan

I have had advice from others and they strongly agree with what you said. However my parents are still insistent on me doing physics annoyingly. Thank you very much for the reply.

That's an odd thing to be insistent about, the only thing where Physics has an advantage compared to engineering is going into Physics research, otherwise they're seen as pretty much the same for professional careers.

Very odd.

Reply 6

Jamie Strachan

I know, it's because both my sisters are doing physics degrees and maths and physics are my strong points.
Thank you doonesbury for the links I'll have a look.

Reply 7

Doones

Original post by Jamie Strachan

I know, it's because both my sisters are doing physics degrees and maths and physics are my strong points.
Thank you doonesbury for the links I'll have a look.

Maths and physics are (usually) required A-levels for Engineering.

Do your sisters want to be F1 engineers?

Reply 8

Jamie Strachan

One of them is wanting to be an engineer in the navy but also thinking about F1 and the other has no idea.
I'm only in year 11 so got plenty of time yet, I'm studying maths, further maths, physics and IT at A-level.

Reply 9

Helloworld_95

Original post by Jamie Strachan

The job of an engineer in the Navy is more akin to being a technician in the civilian world, and as a result the training is very different to the job you'd get from an engineering degree (ignoring the changes that military life has on such a program).