Launch a Career as a Designer in F1

^{Image Credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKZKCl_GEgY}

If I were to ask you to define the sport of F1 in one word – what would it be?
Fast? Sleek? Innovative? Futuristic? Whichever expression you choose, there will always be that one group of individuals who would have directly influenced your impression of the sport – whether it’s the way an F1 car looks, how it sounds, how fast it goes, and more importantly, how innovative the sport gets year after year!
These are the Designers in Formula 1!

In his autobiography ‘How to build a car’, legendary F1 designer Adrian Newey writes “After all, it’s actually relatively easy to drive a Formula One car. Throttle, Green, Green, Amber. Change. Brake, turn the wheel, point it at a corner, and accelerate. Simple. It’s like an arcade game. The challenge is doing it faster than everybody else without losing control. That is an entirely different level.” He makes it sound way easier than how it actually is! Let’s help you get on the same track as him!

Design 101

I’ll be very honest here, being a designer in F1 is no simple task, but so is any other job in F1. However, with a design job specifically, you have to hone yourselves with skills like no other to work with world-class designers and engineers in F1. (I am not trying to be a spoilsport here. As a well-wisher, I am just making sure that you are aware of the journey ahead of you.)

Before going to the crux of design-based roles in F1, here are some resources that will help you get up to speed on the subject, and help refresh your memory too:

YouTube Channels/ Videos :

How To Make An F1 Car (2-Part video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFJ3ta-0O5c
Even though the video is 9 years old, the video features the behind-the-scenes of the steps and teams behind creating an F1 Car.
How is a Formula One Car Born?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKZKCl_GEgY
The Chief Technical Officer of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team and legendary designer James Allison speaks about the journey of an F1 car.
How Do Teams Develop a Formula One Car?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbkBWCK6-jw
Mercedes F1 team chief designer John Owen and Technical Director Mike Elliot talk about how teams go about developing an F1 car. Lewis Hamilton makes an appearance in the video too!
You can also follow the official YouTube channel of F1 – they put out technical breakdown videos and compilations of the changes/innovations in the sport over the years. Here’s one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VclWzlhtFg

These should help you get started. Additionally, you can follow the subreddits r/F1 and r/F1Technical to interact and learn from a like-minded community of F1 fans and experts.

Pursuing a career as a Designer in F1

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s go through the specifics of becoming a Designer in F1. Disclaimer – the information below is not intended to be a replacement for professional career advice.

What to study:
Since most F1 jobs require one to work out of the UK, it would be ideal to pursue your undergraduate or postgraduate degree in the UK itself. Your chances of getting the right job at the right time will increase in this manner.

Most designers in F1 or the lower series (F2, F3, etc) have an educational background in mechanical engineering. As the exposure to the sport is less on the Indian subcontinent, a PG degree from the UK would be ideal. Additionally, you could always pursue a Mechanical/Automotive-based degree program in India and follow it up with a design-centric PG degree. Some options include:

Undergraduate Degree

All IITs and NITs have Mechanical Engineering programs.
B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering – VIT
B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering – Manipal Institute of Technology
B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering – COEP (College of Engg. Pune)
B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering – DTU (Delhi Technological University)
B.Tech in Automobile Engineering- Manipal Institute of Technology
B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering – SRM Institute of Technology
B.Tech in Motorsport engineering – Cornerstone International College
B.Tech in Motorsport engineering – Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science

Postgraduate Degree

M.Tech Design Engineering – IITs and COEP (College of Engg. Pune)
M.Des. in Mobility and Vehicle Design – IIT Mumbai
Integrated B.Tech. + M.Tech. in Engineering Design – IIT Madras

Note:

In reference to the Indian subcontinent: Since a UG-level program in Motorsports is not common or mainstream, pursuing a Master’s degree in a UK-based university would make sure you have a better shot at getting a job in F1.
*Remember that it is important to research the program you intend to choose, to make sure that it falls under the umbrella of mechanical engineering and automotive design.
It is not mandatory for applicants to have completed a Postgraduate degree. Most job listings only have a STEM / Engineering degree as a prerequisite. However, for applicants that do not have a distinctive vehicle design background, their projects, software knowledge, or experience in working in the field should compensate for this.

Here are a few relevant programs based in the UK:

The list above is definitely not exhaustive. Those enthusiastic to pursue a career as an F1 designer must also do their own research to see what path would be the most suitable based on their individual circumstances.

Required Traits:
The following are a few traits, skill sets, and qualifications an individual should possess or achieve, should they consider pursuing a career as a Designer in F1:

Educational background: Preferably a degree or diploma in engineering, math, or physics.
Technically sound in the subject of mechanical engineering, especially in topics or streams pertaining to material strength, vehicle design, and general airflow.
The ability to draw free-hand sketches/inclination towards sketches is important. If not, the ability to convey design ideas using software would work as well.
The ability to demonstrate practical works or projects completed, relevant to the field (this is where Formula Student experience is a huge bonus point!).
Familiarity with CFD is recommended.
Knowledge of software packages like CATIA, Solidworks, and Ansys. Most teams use CATIA to design their cars – hence that is important.
Should be an inherent problem solver, and should exhibit a sense of intrigue as to how things work around them.
Should possess a sharp sense of detail and a high work ethic.
Should be confident in their abilities, yet also be humble enough to accept that they would be working with experts in the field.
Should be able to work within a high-pressure team environment.
Preferably, have basic background knowledge of motorsports and F1.

Remember, these are only the bare minimum skill sets you should have to crack a career as a Designer in F1.

Typical Roles:
All 10 F1 teams hire Designers under different job roles. Some include:

Design Engineer
Junior Design Engineer
Composite Design Engineer
Mechanical Design Engineer
Stress Engineer

Payscale details:
The expected salaries for an entry-level Design Engineer in an F1 team in the United Kingdom range from £50,000 – £70,000 per year and would go upwards of £90,000 depending on the experience of the applicant.

Tips:

Getting involved with a Formula Student team as soon as possible really helps you get some hands-on, practical experience in the field.
Sometimes, having an education background from a reputed university can really help with your application. As every F1 team receives hundreds, if not, thousands of applications every year, one of the criteria is to filter CVs by universities with high international rankings (use the QS website to have an idea: https://www.topuniversities.com/qs-world-university-ranking).
Networking is key: Learn to use platforms like LinkedIn to connect with those working in F1 and those with a similar choice of career path as yours. Their experiences and mistakes will provide you with the guidance to pursue

Relevant Books:

Relevant Resources:

National Motorsport Academy courses: https://motorsport.nda.ac.uk/
Reddit pages : r/formula1 (https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/) and r/F1Technical (https://www.reddit.com/r/F1Technical/)
https://www.redbull.com/in-en/f1-best-designers-in-history
“Getting the Dream Job in Motorsport” by Willem Toet: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/getting-dream-job-willem-toet/
“How do you become a racing car designer?”
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/april-1972/32/how-do-you-become-a-racing-car-designer
Very insightful Quora answer (What does it take to become a part of F1 car engineering/ design team)
https://qr.ae/pvHaVN
Excerpt from a former F1 Designer at Mercedes:
https://racer.com/2021/01/08/opinion-i-was-an-american-designer-at-mercedes-f1-needs-to-create-a-path-for-others/
The Student Room, UK:
https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/
Aero Design in F1 Course:
https://motorsportengineer.net/aero-design-in-f1/
CAD IT by F1 in Schools:
https://www.f1inschools.com/cad-it.html

Additional Videos :

References:

The following blog post has been researched and written by Vishnu S, an F1 enthusiast and writer who is working his way towards working in Formula 1 before he turns 30. After graduating in Electrical Engineering from GEC Thrissur, Vishnu works as a Senior strategist in one of the leading EdTechs in India and reviews movies on the side.

This post has been edited for grammar and other inconsistencies. To learn how you can contribute to content creation at Formula Bharat, visit www.formulabharat.com/careers.

Launch a Career as a Designer in F1

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