Living The Dream
F1 Racing UK|February 2018

Winners of the INFINITI Engineering Academy get a six-month placement at Renault Sport Formula One Team in Enstone where they get the chance to fulfil a lifetime’s ambition to help build their new Formula 1 car

Living The Dream
When the 2018 Renault Sport F1 car fires up for the first time, there will be some very proud engineers within the team and a handful of them will be pinching themselves.

For a couple of the young engineering students, the sight of the first Formula 1 car they have helped build will be the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.

You can lay the blame at Lego. Those small building blocks that ignite a passion for problem solving, when combined with a passion for motorsport, can create engineers that want to work at the pinnacle of their profession.

But such is the competitive nature of F1 that getting the chance to fulfill a childhood ambition is extremely rare and opportunities to get a foot in the door are fleeting.

But there is hope for young budding engineers across the globe. The INFINITI Engineering Academy (IEA) was launched in 2014 and the prize for the seven regional winners (from the US, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Middle East, China and Asia-Oceania) is a six-month placement at Renault’s F1 team in Enstone and another six months at INFINITI’s Technical Centre in Cranfield.

Those young engineers who have successfully demonstrated the right qualities of dedication, hard work, team spirit and ambition have gone on to secure full-time contracts at Renault, proving the academy is genuinely finding future engineering talent.

“It all started with Lego,” says Jacob Debono, winner of INFINITI’s Engineering Academy Asia-Oceania regional final last September. “I starting making kits when I was young and it just developed from there. I helped create a solar car while studying at university and now I’m working on aero parts for the new Renault car. It’s amazing to have come this far in such a short space of time.”

This story is from the February 2018 edition of F1 Racing UK.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the February 2018 edition of F1 Racing UK.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM F1 RACING UKView All
The Racer's Edge
F1 Racing UK

The Racer's Edge

A STAGGERINGLY SIMPLE IDEA FOR F1 GRIDS 

time-read
4 mins  |
January 2018
This F1 Life
F1 Racing UK

This F1 Life

THE PROBLEMS FACING CIRCUIT DESIGNERS

time-read
4 mins  |
March 2018
F1 Insider - The Power Of Dreams
F1 Racing UK

F1 Insider - The Power Of Dreams

F1 Insider - The Power Of Dreams

time-read
8 mins  |
October 2017
This F1 Life
F1 Racing UK

This F1 Life

This F1 Life

time-read
4 mins  |
October 2017
The Clash Of The Titans
F1 Racing UK

The Clash Of The Titans

It’s a fight for the ages: triple champion Lewis Hamilton vs four-time champ Sebastian Vettel. Each has a competitive car; each is at the peak of his ability. But who will prevail? We ask a sports psychologist, a tech expert, team bosses and two hard-boiled team-mates to adjudicate

time-read
10+ mins  |
October 2017
The View From Within
F1 Racing UK

The View From Within

McLaren’s garage is a hive of activity at a race weekend. But who does what?

time-read
1 min  |
October 2017
Death Of A Circuit
F1 Racing UK

Death Of A Circuit

Seventy miles west of Spa-Francorchamps lie the crumbling remnants of the circuit that once aspired to snatch its crown. F1 Racing took a road trip to the former Belgian GP venue of Nivelles-Baulers to see it before it disappears for good…

time-read
1 min  |
October 2017
This F1 Life
F1 Racing UK

This F1 Life

The regulation changes for 2018 are minor compared with the upheaval of last year, and while the introduction of the halo – and the enormous loads the chassis has to handle as a result – has set a considerable engineering challenge, it’s certain that changes to the tyres are going to have a much larger effect on racing this coming season.

time-read
4 mins  |
February 2018
Power Play
F1 Racing UK

Power Play

F1 champions celbrated in hall of fame.

time-read
3 mins  |
February 2018
Living The Dream
F1 Racing UK

Living The Dream

Winners of the INFINITI Engineering Academy get a six-month placement at Renault Sport Formula One Team in Enstone where they get the chance to fulfil a lifetime’s ambition to help build their new Formula 1 car

time-read
4 mins  |
February 2018
RELATED STORIES
Turning Over
Car and Driver

Turning Over

More than a decade after the original Leaf, Nissan rolls out its second EV.

time-read
2 mins  |
May 2022
Renault Koleos 2,5 Dynamique CVT
CAR

Renault Koleos 2,5 Dynamique CVT

Renault has been doing a roaring trade in the small budget cars segment of late ... How will the upmarket Koleos be received?

time-read
4 mins  |
March 2022
The Committee on Life and Death
The Atlantic

The Committee on Life and Death

As COVID-19 has overwhelmed hospitals, the lack of clear bioethical guidelines has meant that doctors have had to make wrenching life-and-death decisions on the fly. The result has been chaos and unnecessary suffering, among both patients and clinicians. As the country prepares to distribute vaccines, we’re at risk of reprising this chaos.

time-read
10+ mins  |
January - February 2021
FRANCE DEPLOYS $8.8 BILLION TO RESCUE AILING CAR INDUSTRY
Techlife News

FRANCE DEPLOYS $8.8 BILLION TO RESCUE AILING CAR INDUSTRY

France’s government is injecting more than 8 billion euros ($8.8 billion) to save the country’s car industry from huge losses wrought by virus lockdowns, and wants to use the crisis to make France the No. 1 producer of electric vehicles in Europe.

time-read
3 mins  |
Techlife News #448
Can The Renault-Nissan Marriage Be Saved?
Bloomberg Businessweek

Can The Renault-Nissan Marriage Be Saved?

The automakers’ global alliance is fraying now that its architect, Carlos Ghosn, is out

time-read
5 mins  |
January 20, 2020
Carlos Ghosn's Great Escape
Bloomberg Businessweek

Carlos Ghosn's Great Escape

The auto chief’s audacious flight to Beirut isn’t the end of his battle with Japanese prosecutors—or Nissan

time-read
7 mins  |
January 13, 2020
The Hardest Fall
Bloomberg Businessweek

The Hardest Fall

IT TOOK CARLOS GHOSN 20 YEARS TO REACH THE APEX OF GLOBAL BUSINESS—AND JUST A FEW MONTHS TO LOSE EVERYTHING

time-read
10+ mins  |
December 16, 2019
Breaking The Mold
Mountain Flyer

Breaking The Mold

With his standout upstart brand Corvid Cycles, Chad Corbin finds himself on a new and rewarding path

time-read
6 mins  |
Issue 63
Supporting Women In Engineering
Industry Today

Supporting Women In Engineering

Women are significantly underrepresented in engineering. The industry must increase engagement from a young age to diversify our workforce.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 2019
Engineering And Business: A Great Combination For Success
Hispanic Engineer & Information Technology

Engineering And Business: A Great Combination For Success

The Many Benefits Of Acquiring Both Engineering And Business Degrees

time-read
3 mins  |
Fall 2019 Volume 34 Issue 2