Formula Student

what is?

Formula Student is the most prestigious engineering competition for university students, with events held every summer all over the world. It was founded in 1981 by the Society of Automotive Engineers, and established in Europe in 1998.

Nowadays, teams from more than 600 universities compete in what is considered to be the youth academy of Formula One. However, in Formula Student it is not an ordinary competition, since teams must not only focus on building the fastest car, but on optimising its performance with consistent design decisions and resource planning based on their context.

It is worth mentioning that all team members must be university students, either undergraduate or seeking a master's degree.

THREE CATEGORIES, SAME SPIRIT

Each competition is made up of different kind of events. The static events, which offer a third of the total points available, are: Business, Cost and Design. The remaining two thirds can be scored in the dynamic events: Skidpad, Acceleration, Autocross and Endurance&Efficiency, which is the most difficult to complete, but also the one where the most points are at stake.

COMPETITION

Engineering Design

All decisions about the designing and manufacturing processes of the cars have to be justified to professional engineers, who judge the team members' work and the cars' key features. X

Cost & Manufacturing

The accuracy of the cars' Bills of Materials is discussed with judges, as so are multiple analyses about the cars, like the costs of building them.

Business Plan Presentation

Before an audience acting as potential investors, a business plan based on the car manufactured by the team is presented to them.

Acceleration

From a standing start, a 75-metre straight line where the accelerating capacity of the cars is put to the test. This event is special in FS Spain since it takes place under the night sky in Barcelona's Formula One circuit.

SkidPad

An eight-shaped circuit which requires great lateral acceleration and stability. In some competitions this event is held on wet conditions.

Autocross

A hotlap around a one-kilometre, twisty circuit full of cones, slaloms and impossible turns where finding an optimal balance is key.

Endurance + Efficiency

A 22-km race with a driver change included, where both cars and drivers are pushed to their limits, which even top teams struggle to finish. Doing so with low fuel or energy usage grants points for Efficiency.