F1 in School UK National Champions!

The National Finals

The F1 in Schools UK 2022/23 National Finals took place at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham, from the 12-13th of January 2023. It was part of the Autosport International Show, which drew in a crowd of over 90,000 visitors, making it Europe's largest motorsport event. As the National Finals were centre stage, the team were able to explore the massive venue and have a look at some of their dream cars!

Day 1: Racing & Judging

After a journey that felt like it took forever, we eventually arrived in Birmingham a day early! Upon arrival at the accommodation, we met with Tom and got to practicing our verbal presentation. The next morning we headed to the NEC and were greeted with rain as we moved our pit display into the venue, but once that was set up, we attended the opening ceremony and began our first day of the competition.

It was fantastic to finally attend a physical rather than virtual National Finals! Throughout the day we attended our judging sessions where we presented our work and answered the judges questions. Racing was bittersweet, setting the fastest of the day before being beating by fractions of a second in the last race of the day! With judging done and the pressure relieved, we were excited for what was to come on day 2 of the event.

Day 2: Feedback & More Racing

Despite slipping down the leaderboard, our car consistently set fast track times, which resulted in more points due to a lower average. Feedback we received after judging was positive, with lots of useful constructive criticism to help improve our project elements. We had a pit display interview with Tom Deacon and were fortunate enough to meet and shake hands with famous Formula 1 photographer, Mark Sutton.

Day 2: Award Ceremony

After finishing all feedback sessions and racing, the team watch amazing vehicle stunts and races at the “Live Action Area”, then walked to the F1 in Schools National Finals stand for the awards ceremony to commence.

We were nominated for the sponsorship & marketing, team identity and verbal presentation awards, eventually winning best pit display. After tense waiting and seeing other teams walk onto the podium, we were announced the UK National Champions, a first for Queen Elizabeth’s.

That feeling is one we will never forget! Alongside the awards, we won paddock passes to the Silverstone GP and a Formula 1 factory tour. You can watch the official highlights by visiting: https://youtu.be/UsHXfqc3uP0

The World Finals 2023 - SINGAPORE!

Being crowned UK National Champions qualifies us for the F1 in Schools 2023 World Finals, which will be held in Singapore this September alongside the annual GP. The team now need to earn in the region of £20,000 we need your help!

YOU CAN HELP TEAM ECLIPSE BECOME WORLD CHAMPIONS!

If you would like to donate towards Eclipse’s journey to the 2023 World Finals in Singapore, please make sure to check out our newly published GoFundMe page by visiting:  https://gofund.me/10dc252c

Thank You

We would like to extend a heartfelt gratitude to all of our partners and supporters who have been with us since 2019 or joined us along the way. Your unwavering support has meant everything to the team and has been a driving force behind our success! As we approach our final competition this summer, we hope to make it count, leave a legacy behind and make you all proud. Thank you again for your continued support.