LEAF1 Crowned Champions at Lenovo F1 in Schools 2024 UK National Finals

The Lenovo F1 in Schools 2024 UK National Finals, held at the Magna Science Adventure Centre in Rotherham on March 13th and 14th, showcased the talent and dedication of aspiring engineers nationwide.

The competition, which challenges students aged 9-19 to design, manufacture, and race miniature F1 cars, saw an impressive turnout of 300 students in 60 teams, making it the most prominent UK National Finals.

The Winners: LEAF1

LEAF1, a team of six students from Simon Langton School in Canterbury, emerged victorious, claiming the Lenovo F1 in Schools 2024 UK National Champions. The team, consisting of Atticus (14), Sean (17), Cole (16), Zac (17), Piers (15), and Jaime (16), demonstrated exceptional skills in various aspects of the competition, including car speed, engineering quality, brand identity, and verbal presentation.

As part of their prize, LEAF1 will receive a scholarship opportunity at Aston University, work placements at Williams Racing, an exclusive experience at the 2024 British F1 Grand Prix, and a tour of an F1 team’s factory.

Team Manager Atticus expressed the team’s elation, stating, “We’re incredibly happy to be the UK National Champions! We’ve all worked so hard to get to this point, and we’re really proud of us as a team that we’ve finally made it – not just onto the podium today, but also to the Aramco F1 in Schools 2024 World Finals.”

The Competition

The two-day Magna Science Adventure Centre event saw teams compete in a multidisciplinary challenge, with assessment areas including car speed, engineering quality, brand identity, and verbal presentation skills. The competition garnered support from several F1 teams, with representatives from Oracle Red Bull Racing, Red Bull Powertrains, McLaren Formula 1, Mercedes-AMG HPP, Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team, and Alpine BWT Team in attendance. An F1 car, courtesy of Williams Racing, was also on display.

Many attendees were former F1 in Schools competitors who participated in an alum session, providing current participants with valuable insights into their career paths within the sport.

Podium Finishers and Team GB

LEAF1 was joined on the podium by Unity Racing from Scarborough in second place and Vertex Racing from London in third. These teams and other top performers will represent Team GB at the Aramco F1 in Schools 2024 World Finals.

Unity Racing’s Team Manager Matiss shared their excitement, saying, “All the work we’ve invested has been more than worth it – we’re absolutely ecstatic to be going through to the Aramco F1 in Schools 2024 World Finals, and we can’t thank our teachers enough for helping us to get to this point.”

Justin, Team Manager of Vertex Racing, expressed his team’s gratitude, stating, “It’s unbelievable to be going through to the Aramco F1 in Schools 2024 World Finals. We’ve been competing for a number of years now and didn’t think we’d ever get to the global stage of the competition, so to finally make it is just incredible.”

Tom Milner, UK Project Manager at F1 in Schools, praised the event’s success and the participants’ outstanding performance, saying, “This year’s UK National Finals was truly spectacular. The standard on display from all the teams was outstanding, and we know that the future engineers and pioneers of both F1 and wider industries are amongst those who took part.”

The Lenovo F1 in Schools 2024 UK National Finals celebrated the achievements of talented young engineers and highlighted the importance of initiatives promoting STEM education. As these students progress to the Aramco F1 in Schools 2024 World Finals and beyond, they stand as testaments to the bright future of engineering and the potential for innovation within Formula 1.