Arbroath pupils top the table in schools' F1 challenge

Some of the pupils are pictured on the starting line ready to go. Angus schools performed well in the regional finals.

Arbroath Academy topped the table of Angus schools who notched up wins in the Scottish regional finals of the F1 in Schools competition.

The finals were held at the Innovation Hub MSIP in Dundee, with more than 90 school children from across Scotland competing to see whose miniature F1 car could take the title and win a place on the F1 in Schools podium.

Following a successful funding bid from Michelin Community Support, Angus Council's Angus Virtual School collaborated with F1 in Schools to introduce the project to the local secondary school curriculum, resulting in a new regional final in Tayside.

The included teams from Angus, Aberdeenshire and Edinburgh who took to the racetrack to compete against each other after designing and building their own miniature F1 cars over the last few months.

Angus winners included: Fastest Reaction Time – Arbroath High School; Best Presentation – Montrose Academy; Judges Choice – Arbroath High School; Best Engineered Car (Entry) – Arbroath High School; Future Stars – Arbroath High School; Entry Class 1st Place – Arbroath High School. Carnoustie High School and Montrose Academy were also nominated five times between them for other awards in Development Class.

The initiative is an innovative STEM competition that challenges children to run their own F1 team. Pupils take on various roles such as team manager, design engineer, manufacturing engineer, social media and marketing manager, finance and resource manager and graphic designer.

Tom Milner, UK and I National Project Manager F1 in Schools said: “All the teams did a fantastic job and we’re proud of the work and effort the young people put into their projects.

Councillor Lynne Devine, Family, Education and Justice convener, added: “This initiative not only introduces young people to the exciting world of engineering and design but also fosters essential life skills like teamwork, problem-solving and leadership. It was great to see so many Angus teams make these finals and perform exceptionally well.”