Question: How hard is it to get into the engineering side of formula 1 or 3 ??? i am very interested in it so would like some pointers in what way to go in the future ??

Kayleigh Messer answered on 14 Mar 2012:

It is quite difficult but it is definitely achievable!

My tips are:

– Have a look on UCAS website to get an idea for what A-Levels & grades you need to go to university – I needed 3 B’s in Maths & Sciences when I applied for uni, but it might be different now. That way you can make sure you do the right A-Levels to make sure you can get onto a degree course that is relevant.

– get a good motorsport/automotive/mechanical degree. This is important as you want to go into the engineering side of motorsport, if other people reading are interested in more hands on roles then there are other avenues such as apprenticeships that might suit you better!

– if you can, try to get some work experience. Not only does it look good on your CV by showing you really are interested in a career in motorsport, but it is a really good experience to go through. I found getting work experience really hard. I wrote to all F1 teams but wasn’t able to get any experience, until I was half way through my university degree. Instead at school/college I worked in an engineering company for a week and at a car dealership for a week. Although neither experiences are relevant to what I do now, I think it shows that I was interested and committed to a job in engineering, even though at the time I didn’t know that’s what I wanted to do! I just loved factories and cars so had a great time.

– above all don’t give up. It’s hard work but it’s definitely worth it if you love the technical side to motorsport 🙂