Behind the spotlight shining on the gleaming cars are all those people who help build them, refine them, think up strategies, manage data… in other words, those who run the whole show. Quite the dream, right? But how does someone get to that position? What do you have to study to end up working in the top category of all motorsports?

INTRODUCING: FORMULA STUDENT BIZKAIA

Fortunately, in Bizkaia we have a spectacular option to get closer to this adrenaline-filled world: a teaching project, nonprofit, from the EHU called Formula Student Bizkaia (hereafter, FSB). It is a project open to all students at the School of Engineering of Bilbao, and it is completely voluntary both for the students and the faculty.

Using the Project Based Learning (PBL) methodology, the goal of those who accept this challenge is to create from scratch a competitive single-seater to compete against other international Formula Student programs. Over 10 years of work, the program has trained more than 400 people and guided them toward fulfilling their dream of working in the world of motorsport. For our part, we had the pleasure of speaking with two of these four hundred people to tell us a bit about how this process was. We present to you Gorka Martín and Nerea Marrodán, two talents who, after their time at FSB (and a lot of effort and sweat), got to experience firsthand what it’s like to work in a Formula 1 team. Would you like to meet them?

FROM A DREAM TO REALITY, AND FROM REALITY TO A DREAM

It was childhood dreams that drove Gorka to participate in FSB: “Since I was little, I’ve felt a great passion for cars and the world of motorsport. I always dreamed of becoming one of those engineers I saw on television, working behind the scenes in Formula 1 teams. FSB represented the opportunity to take my first steps on that path, a real project where I could test myself and find out if I truly had what it takes to dedicate myself to it.”

In Nerea’s case, however (and interestingly), it was quite the opposite, as she tells us that the program caught her attention during one of the open days at the School of Engineering of Bilbao: “There were many students from different years participating, each wearing their red polo shirt and eager to tell what they devoted their time to after class. Their enthusiasm caught my attention right away, and I realized that it was the perfect opportunity to work in a team, create my own designs and get to know the world beyond university.” After that, she was part of the team for three years, making “designing and building a race car with your own ideas and hands” a dream come true.

They both agree that their time in FSB was an incredibly positive and enriching experience. Nerea highlights the importance of applying everything studied theoretically in class, since that was the part that helped her find her true vocation. As she explains: “I was able to discover the areas I like to work in and those I don’t, the way I like to work and the way I don’t, and how to make projects succeed while enjoying the journey. Even though this is ultimately a changing process throughout our entire professional life, I see year after year that people who have participated in the team (or in similar projects) have a different perspective and a special way of facing real-world problems. And above all, a lot of passion for what they do.” For his part, Gorka highlights three aspects of his experience: technical learning, collaboration between departments, and learning how to work under pressure and strict deadlines, which, as he points out, are quite common in the motorsport world. In short, he notes that the program is “a unique experience to grow both technically and personally.”

IS THERE LIFE AFTER FSB?

As you might have guessed from the spoiler we gave you earlier, Gorka and Nerea had the chance to work firsthand in the top category, specifically (and respectively) at Red Bull Racing and Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains. Gorka was part of the team’s aerodynamics department, while Nerea worked in the product engineering department. But what does this mean exactly?

Gorka worked as an aerodynamic analyst, and his job “focused on correlating the data obtained on track, CFD simulations (computational fluid dynamics), and wind tunnel tests. The goal was to ensure that each new aerodynamic design implemented on the car worked as expected in real conditions. This involved analyzing large volumes of data, validating predictive models, and working closely with designers to optimize the car’s performance. It was a very technical role, but also strategic, since any improvement could translate into key tenths of a second during the race.”

Nerea’s job went in a similar direction: “My work, and that of my colleagues, was to analyze and fix possible mechanical failures of the F1 engines during the season, which had occurred in testing or during the Grand Prix. And if everything went well, to design and improve different parts or assemblies of the powertrain for the next season. In short, my role consisted of analyzing data and knowing how to use it to improve designs, finding the limit of sufficient durability with the least possible loss of milliseconds on track.”

LET’S NOT WASTE TALENT

Do you know what the best part of this is? That if you’ve dreamed all your life of working in F1 (or if you’ve gotten curious reading this), you could be the next one wearing that famous red polo shirt. As Nerea and Gorka point out, if you have discipline, handle stress well, adapt easily, and know how to work as part of a team, you’ll surely find your place in this exciting world. And once you become part of the FSB family, it’s for life. As Gorka says: “To this day we keep in touch, and every time we meet we remember with admiration that stage that marked us so much. We always used to say: Once a Formula member, always a Formula member.”

Did you know? – Formula 1 edition

Nerea tells you: Did you know that the factories develop and deliver a product, and then it’s the team itself that travels from circuit to circuit to compete and give their best on track? It’s amazing how much monitoring is done from home base, all the people who, without leaving the factory, adapt every week to different time zones (Miami, Japan, Australia…) to keep track of each phase of preparation and the race, and to stay in contact with the team to communicate every detail or start investigations if any setback arises. There are even test engines specifically dedicated to replicating track situations!

Gorka tells you: Did you know that Formula 1 teams use real-time simulations to predict the car’s behavior lap by lap, constantly updated with data sent directly from the car? We’re talking about more than 1,000 telemetry channels transmitting information such as tire temperatures, micro aerodynamic variations, or component degradation.

Did you know that every strategic decision (such as when to pit or what adjustments to make) can depend on minimal differences, like one degree in tire temperature or a tenth of a second in performance loss? It’s like playing a chess match at 300 km/h, where every move is backed by thousands of data points processed instantly.