Student experiences life in the fast lane with dream Formula 1 work placement

Jasper Gourley, 18, secured the much sought-after opportunity at Williams Racing while he was a sixth form student at Hull’s employer-led school, Ron Dearing University Technical College (UTC).

Jasper was the envy of his friends in clinching the work experience opportunity with one of the most famous names in F1.

Williams Racing is one of the most successful teams in the history of F1, with its cars driven by some of the biggest names on the Grand Prix circuit over the years, including Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Nelson Piquet and Damon Hill.

Jasper spent four days at Williams Racing’s headquarters in Oxfordshire, touring the facility, visiting each department, and meeting team members to find out more about their roles and potential future career opportunities.

Jasper visited the company’s on site museum and the “Mission Control” room where engineers watch races and provide feedback to the team on track, as well as taking part in simulated races in which he was part of the winning team.

He also participated in a marketing and design workshop to help to prepare the livery and launch for next year’s F1 car, followed by a presentation.

Jasper was among 20 students from schools and colleges across the country selected for the Williams Racing work placement.

Jasper achieved A-levels in Maths, Further Maths and Physics, and an Engineering technical qualification at Ron Dearing UTC and now plans to study Mathematics at Durham University. He hopes to become a F1 engineer in the future.

Jasper said: “Securing the work placement at Williams was absolutely amazing. The tour was a great way to start as it gave us a flavour of every department. It was really interesting to hear from everyone about their jobs and what they do.

“I learnt so much in four days; less about the technical side and more about how to pursue a career in motorsport engineering.

“If I hadn’t gone to Ron Dearing I don’t think I would have been able to progress as well as I have. I applied when the Williams Racing opportunity came up online and all the experiences I’ve had at Ron Dearing UTC really helped my CV and got me noticed.

“This is definitely a step in the right direction for the career I want. Williams Racing is a really great place to be and everyone made me really welcome.”

Jasper was among Ron Dearing UTC students who competed in the F1 in Schools UK challenge, the world’s largest Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) competition.

The challenge sees more than one million schoolchildren from 40 countries take part each year. Each team designs and manufactures a miniature car based on the official F1 model using Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM).

The cars are powered using CO₂ cartridges and are attached to a 25m track by a nylon wire and raced. The teams also design their own branding and logos, plan social media and marketing strategies to promote themselves, deliver presentations and raise sponsorship for their teams.

The Ron Racing team, including Jasper, finished fifth overall of 32 teams in the UK National Finals held earlier this year. 

Following the team’s success, Jasper was one of just two Ron Dearing UTC students to be offered a dream VIP experience day at Aston Martin’s state-of-the-art headquarters.

The luxury British sports car manufacturer invited him to spend a day at the company’s Coventry base, learning everything from how the cars are designed to viewing the latest prototypes. He also met one of Aston Martin’s head designers and found out how the cars are made.

Jasper said: “I feel really grateful for the opportunities I had at Ron Dearing UTC and the support I was given. None of this would have been possible without that.”

Ron Dearing UTC’s Employer Partners help to shape, support and deliver the school’s unique curriculum, enabling students to prepare for the world of work and secure exciting work experience and employment opportunities with some of the region’s leading businesses and beyond.

Glenn Jensen, Senior Assistant Principal at Ron Dearing UTC, said: “The Williams Racing placement was a truly amazing experience for Jasper and a unique opportunity to see behind the scenes of one of the world’s leading Formula 1 teams.

“We’re delighted all of the experiences he’s had have spurred him on to pursue his dream and we know he has a great future ahead of him in the world of motorsport engineering.

“We’re looking forward to following Jasper’s progress and wish him the very best of luck.”