These demonstrate teams’ technical knowledge and understanding as well as the effectiveness of their autonomous driving systems. In addition, teams must complete a series of autonomous missions on the tarmac like other car classes, including Acceleration, Skid Pad, and on-track Endurance events. However the Cost & Manufacturing judging is replaced by a Real-World Autonomous presentation where teams must demonstrate their understanding and practical solutions for the integration of autonomous vehicles as a future transport solution. Teams compete in a trio of static judged events similar to the main FS combustion and electric car classes, such as Design and Business Plan Presentation. To make this class more accessible, teams have the option of building their own autonomous car from scratch – or using a racecar provided by the IMechE host organization, with funding from the UK government. One of the highlights of the Formula Student UK competition is the autonomous driving class, ( FS-AI) one of the very few Formula Student countries of about 20 that include this advanced challenge. Very impressive for an ungraduate team to design & build a car this sophisticated in less than a year.

of Coventry team’s car, sponsored with Siemens software donations, sports a carbon fiber monocoque chassis, and carbon wings/downforce package. They become well-rounded engineers with real-world experience, combined with vital adjacent skills such as business planning, cost management, communications and project management. The students work on their team often gives credit toward a degree and is viewed by the motorsport industry as the benchmark for engineering graduates to meet, transitioning them from university to hitting the ground running in the workplace.

Backed by industry, the competition develops real-world experienced and innovative young engineers as well as encouraging more young people to take up a career in STEM fields such as engineering.

There were 34 teams and 800 student onsite for the competition at Silverstone, and (in large part due to pandemic travel restrictions), 60 more teams and another 2,000 students competing virtually in the Concept Class.įormula Student UK is Europe’s longest running educational engineering competition, which celebrated its 23rd Anniversary in 2021. Formula Student UK was held at the Silverstone Formula-1 track in Summer 2021.

Formula student track