In 2023, 68 teams will take part in the final event of the F1 in Schools project, which is held annually to encourage students to enrol in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects.
The 2023 world finals will be held at the upcoming Singapore Grand Prix, where the teams from 26 of the 60 countries where F1 in Schools is active will compete for victory by racing mini air-powered cars over a 20m track that have been designed using CAD software and for the first time must have halo structures incorporated in cockpits.
As they are in national level F1 in Schools competitions, the teams will also be assessed on their presentation and communication skills, and there is an optional challenge to develop a car nose that can be dismantled and replaced as quickly as possible.
“Formula 1 is incredibly proud of its efforts to introduce young students to STEM subjects through a unique competition,” said F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.
“F1 in Schools is feeding the passion for these topics among the next generation, as a record number of entries is demonstrating.
“It’s almost guaranteed that at least one future F1 engineer will be among the students taking part in Singapore.”
In its announcement of its record number of world finals entries, F1 in Schools claims “F1’s TV audience aged 12-17 saw the biggest increase in 2022 (49% year-on-year)” – although it did not offer a comparison to other F1 TV audience categories and the data supplied is only that collected from US TV channel ESPN.
Its press release also stated that “34% more women tuned in, echoing F1 in School’s push for diversity in its entries with a 60-40 split between male and female participants in the 2022 World Finals”.
“The 2023 F1 in Schools world finals is set to be the biggest edition of our global STEM challenge to date,” said Andrew Denford, founder and chairman of F1 in Schools.
“With F1’s growth and an increasing interest in STEM activities, we have been able to branch into new territories and that has been reflected in a record number of entries.
“We are eagerly anticipating the week of the Singapore GP to crown our new world champions.”
It is understood that F1 is Schools is set to increase the number of territories in which it holds events in the coming years, with a particular focus on the USA and the Middle East.
