Post here all non technical related topics about Formula One. This includes race results, discussions, testing analysis etc. TV coverage and other personal questions should be in Off topic chat.
I'm on a gap year at the moment, going to university next year. I called a bunch of the teams last month to ask for internships this year, but they all said that you need to have a degree (or 2 years of an engineering course and take a year out of it) to be considered.
But don't be afraid to call and ask them these things. The websites might not give out the phone numbers, but a quick google can find them. Also the receptionists are trying to get rid of millions of hopeless fanboys but if you ask nicely (or if you can get hold of an actual name) you can get put through to the HR manager or whatever. All the HR people I spoke to were very helpful and nice, even if they didn't want me.
Give us more details if you want more specific advice.
One tip: if you want to send an email to a team about internship and placement enquiries...DONT! its better to send physical mail, they actually read that. and look around in specialist magazines like autosport, they always advertise positions there. You dont necessarily need tonnes of experience, teams are often looking for people to fill junior roles where they expect to hire people just graduating from university.
Mclaren website lays out the kind of Jobs that you can obtain and they have a few descriptions of what the job entails. They even want fitness trainers and truck drivers.
I wonder if they will take anybody in the western hemisphere? Or someone fresh out of university with a degree?
Be the best at what you do. Have heaps of qualifications.
Have a reputation. Start in a lower series. Prove that you want to work long hours in an extremely competitive, sometimes exhaustive environment, for pay that may not be spectacular.
Even on FSAE teams, lots of people show up "Oh this is awesome, I wanna work on the car!" but few man up to put in 70+ hours a week, including weekends.
Even as a motorsport supplier.. there are some things that are fun and rewarding, but there are a lot of things that are a huge pain in the ass.
I don't understand why so many people want to jump to F1, particularly immediately out of college. Why not GP2? Why not F3? You've got to prove yourself. A university degree with no REAL experience is a long shot.
Grip is a four letter word. All opinions are my own and not those of current or previous employers.
Some people think that aligning yourself with a company that supplies F1 is the best way in the door. Or at least into the paddock.
Maybe working with Hitco, AP, Brembro, Mahle, Shell, Bridgestone, etc would be a faster way in to say "I work in F1".
Nigel Mansel was a truck driver for Williams for a long time. When he talked of the Honda looking and driving like a truck he knew what he was talking about.
Before I do anything I ask myself “Would an idiot do that?” And if the answer is yes, I do not do that thing. - Dwight Schrute
I still don't understand the obsession with "working in F1." Sounds contrived. Is just BEING in F1 what would make someone happy? Or is it your actual JOB function. Ie
"I'd like to learn and be a vehicle dynamics engineer."
"I want to be a data acquisition specialist."
"I enjoy working in aerodynamics, how can I be an airfoil analyst?"
The series you work in shouldn't really matter.
Grip is a four letter word. All opinions are my own and not those of current or previous employers.