Abu Dhabi – For the first time ever, a team of Brazilian students is competing in an international contest sponsored by the "F1 in schools" project, which has youths develop miniature Formula 1 race cars. This is also the first time a team from Brazil moves on to the contest’s finals. The last few races are taking place at the Ferrari World theme park, in Abu Dhabi, next to the circuit where the final Formula 1 race will take place next Sunday (23rd).
The winners will be announced over a dinner attended by team leaders and members next Wednesday (19th) in Abu Dhabi. The students will meet drivers and attend the qualifying for the race. The winning team will be awarded graduate and postgraduate scholarships in engineering or related fields at the City University London.
The performance of Brazil’s Força Canindé team, composed of second year secondary school students at Colégio Bandeirantes, in São Paulo, came as a surprise to the contest’s organizers. The project has students design miniature Formula 1 cars, and follow the same schedule as a real F1 team.
In other words, they are required to have a commercial team capable of finding sponsors and designers who can create the best cars while observing the regulations. The miniatures were computer-made and tested before competing. A very fast car wins lots of points, but does not guarantee victory.
Last Sunday, the Brazilian team’s cars placed 21st in straight track sprint competitions. On Monday (17th), performance improved and the cars finished 15th. This race was witnessed by this ANBA reporter. In addition to speed, scores are also given for stand organization, communication abilities, finding sponsors and project design. The winner will be the team with the highest overall score, including a “surprise” challenge on the final day.
The founder and chairman of "F1 in Schools," Andrew Denford, said the Brazilian team is performing “incredibly.” “This is their first time here, and already they have made it into the finals here in Abu Dhabi and are contenders for the overall ranking. It’s incredible,” he said. The team is achieving the best first-time performance ever in the contest.
Each student has a specific job within the team. The marketing director, 15-year-old Thomas Giordano, said the contest has given him experiences he will carry with him “for life.” “Everything we have been through, what we did in order to participate and to be here has taught us a lot in terms of our performance and school curriculum, but also when it comes to living,” he said. Out of the team’s eight members, he was the only F1 fanatic before the contest began.
The research and development director, whose job is to seek out sponsors, 16-year-old Cristina Su Liu, said the process of learning things to meet the contest’s challenges will help her address other challenges as they present themselves. "I will have more capabilities and abilities to solve problems and find answers to issues. And that even includes taking tests to attend university,” she said. Now, she wants to see the teams at work at the Yas Marina circuit, and witness in real life the project she designed with her schoolmates.
The "F1 in Schools" project was created 14 years ago to encourage students to come up with projects and solutions for Formula 1, and thus present the students with challenges similar to those they will face upon entering the labour market. The program was brought to Brazilian schools this year by the project’s representative in Brazil, Manoel Belem, and his partner Waldemar Battaglia. A few schools purchased the project and competed, but only Colégio Bandeirantes students have made it to the finals, which are taking place in Abu Dhabi this year. Each year, the finals are held in one of the last three Formula 1 season circuits. In 2013, the event took place in Texas, United States.
"This team has been under a lot of pressure, they had less time to prepare, we had a hard time getting visas to enter the country and get to where we are. But they are doing well, most of all because they have the will to make it work. This is an opportunity for them to be exposed to the Formula 1 world,” said Belem.
Denford also remarked that Formula 1 is not the only area that can potentially benefit from these students’ talents. “They will have a lot of knowledge in developing innovative projects in various fields in the future, such as marketing or sponsorship. And they are also developing skills such as resilience (the ability to adapt and withstand challenges)," he said.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
