F1 in Schools Success!

by Dr Justin Palfreyman, Partnership Teacher of Physics

Two LAET teams, LAET Orion Racing (Y13) and Arrera Racing (Y12), travelled to Harrow College on the 12th of February to compete in the North London regional competition of the F1 in Schools competition.

This was our first year entering the competition, and both teams made the school proud, producing eye-catching pit displays to showcase their endeavours, from engaging with potential sponsors to securing the funds needed to design and construct a miniature F1 car.

*The Arrera Racing Team with Dr Junstin Palfreyman. Team members include Joanna Samuel, Carita Poku, Maya Fladsrud, Stefan Petrov, Inas Raka and Tarandeep Gura.*

Their cars were subjected to strict scrutiny to check they had followed the rules and regulations on design, mass and dimensions before competing in the time trials - a CO2 canister powered race over 20m, where the "drivers" reaction time was also a key factor in setting a competitive time. This is where Arrera Racing truly excelled and set the fastest time in the development class by only a thousandth of a second! After the judges had convened, the awards ceremony took place, and we knew there was a chance of silverware.

*A team with an eye for detail. Team Orion consists of Yamin Qureshi, Syaam Hussain, Shaqeel Joseph, Yusra Ali, Yusra Islam and Marino Guillen-Caamano.*

Both teams were nominated (top 3) in a category, but each also won another category - Arrerra Racing for the fastest car and LAET Orion Racing for sponsorship and marketing. The top 2 teams overall progressed to the UK National Finals at the Magna Science Adventure Centre in March, and with a strong all-around performance, Arrera Racing took 2nd place on the day.

Pit displays are designed to highlight each team's project work throughout every phase of the competition. A crucial aspect of the display design should be team identity, which Team Orion mastered beautifully.

Immediately after the regional competitions, the team began working diligently to enhance their portfolios in preparation for the nationals the following month. The Arrera Racing Team ultimately achieved remarkable success at the F1 in Schools National Finals, securing the title of 'Fastest Car in the Development Class.' A huge well done to all students who took part!