STEM Racing世界总决赛在新加坡举行
来自世界各地的数百名学生在新加坡参加STEM Racing世界总决赛，这项长期举办的工程竞赛正日益成为通往F1和赛车运动的潜在途径。来自沙特阿拉伯的Lynx Racing队在为期四天的国际工程竞赛中夺冠，并在大奖赛领奖台上获颁2026年奖杯。
走进这项培养F1未来工程人才的竞赛
来自世界各地的数百名学生在Singapore参加STEM Racing世界总决赛，这项长期举办的工程竞赛正日益成为通往一级方程式和赛车运动的潜在途径
六名沙特阿拉伯高中生，四名男生和两名女生，正兴奋地在Singapore F1围场里来回走动。
他们被称为Lynx Racing队，是年度STEM Racing世界总决赛的新科冠军，该赛事在大奖赛前一周于Singapore举行。在这场为期四天的国际工程竞赛中脱颖而出后，Lynx Racing在真正的大奖赛领奖台上获颁2026年奖杯，其间他们见到了两届世界冠军费尔南多·阿隆索等人，并参观了阿斯顿·马丁车库。
他们中的一些人希望这不是他们最后一次近距离看到F1车库——下一次，他们将穿上车队队服。
自2000年以“F1 in Schools”之名创立以来，STEM Racing一直致力于为有天赋的孩子们提供机会，通过一系列高要求的竞赛激发他们的工程好奇心并磨练技能。
三到六名学生组成的小组需要设计并制造一辆由二氧化碳气瓶驱动的微型F1赛车。目标是以最高70公里/小时的速度，让赛车尽可能快地跑完20米赛道。地区赛和全国赛的获胜者将获得年度世界总决赛的席位，与来自世界各地的顶尖队伍一较高下。
2026年新加坡站是迄今规模最大的一届，共有来自36个不同国家的91支学生队伍参赛，角逐多个不同奖项，以评判他们的实力。
尽管赛车尺寸迷你，但比赛本身与一级方程式赛车（F1）的相似之处远不止一点点。各车队可以自由使用专业计算机辅助设计（CAD）软件自行设计和制造赛车，在降低赛车风阻的过程中检验自己的空气动力学知识。
最终成品在数控铣床（CNC router）上制造，前后翼先进行3D打印，然后组装、喷漆，最后投入比赛。赛车必须遵守严格的规则手册，并且像真正的赛车一样通过车检。
但车队也会因赛道外的技能而受到评判。车队必须制作营销作品集和赞助计划、打造品牌、向评委进行口头陈述，并搭建维修区展位，将所有这些整合成一件令人印象深刻的产品。每支车队最多六名学生，没有任何人可以置身事外。
对于晋级世界总决赛并面临新加坡之行的车队来说，营销和资金问题变得尤为突出——对于一支最多六名成员外加其老师或成人指导的队伍来说，这可不是一笔便宜的开销。
在2026年总决赛举办地圣淘沙名胜世界的大型宴会厅里漫步，很难不被现场展现出的竞技水平、创造力和热情所震撼。
德国Spectrum车队的诺亚表示：“我认为积累经验很重要，但我也热爱竞技本身。你确实能学到如何在压力下作为团队协作。”该车队最终登上领奖台第三名。
另一边，来自新加坡Nebula车队的队长兼设计工程师阿拉夫说，他很享受与来自各国的同龄人见面并向他们学习。而就像一位真正的F1设计师一样，他在查看竞争对手时早已用眼睛“偷师”。他说：“这里的水平非常高。看到其他车队如何解决同样的问题，真的很有意思。”
鉴于大多数参赛者年龄尚小，这条路径并不能直通F1，但该计划得到了F1及其许多车队的支持。许多STEM Racing的校友都利用这项赛事作为跳板，进入相关大学学位，并随后在F1车队中获得一席之地。
希腊的基里亚科斯·塞奥法尼迪斯在2016年赢得了该赛事，目前是红牛福特动力总成公司的一名机械工程师。来自澳大利亚的詹姆斯·米切尔在2003年还参加了世界总决赛，之后被阿斯顿·马丁招致麾下。同为STEM Racing校友的英国人劳伦斯·瓦因斯现在在威廉姆斯担任结构设计工程师，同时仍为该赛事本身工作，担任评论员、导师和评委。
“我想在F1工作，15岁时我给所有车队写信申请工作经验，”瓦因斯告诉Motorsport.com。“由于在这项运动里没有任何人脉，我根本不知道入行的途径是什么，直到我偶然发现了这项赛事。当时还叫F1 in Schools，威廉姆斯与之合作运营其工程学院的培训项目，他们会在你的学业期间提供支持，我知道那就是我的入行之路。”
瓦因斯说这项赛事帮助了他，因为它让他更早地熟悉了计算机辅助设计、计算流体力学和有限元分析模拟等工具和方法。“在参加之前，我不知道那些东西是什么。我直到上大学才会接触到它们，”他说。“15岁时，我在做我的第一个计算机辅助设计，设计这辆微型赛车。在规则之下，这些规则为你从事F1之类的工作打下了非常好的基础。规则超过70页，细节非常多。”
艾米·马丁利用这项赛事攻读工程学位，之后转投金融领域。这些热情最终交汇在一起，她加入了梅赛德斯高性能动力总成公司担任财务总监。
“一开始我对F1其实没那么感兴趣，”她说。“我只是在学校里把朋友们聚到一起，那年世界总决赛上我们是少数几支全女子车队之一。我们赢得营销奖后，我在2016年被选入威廉姆斯工程学院的青训项目。他们带我们进入围场，我在那里见到了尼科·罗斯伯格。就在那时，我下定决心，无论如何都要进入F1。”
“对一个16岁的女孩来说，能身临其境、展望自己未来可能的样子，真的令人无比振奋。”
当被问及她觉得自己从这项赛事中收获了什么时，她回答说：“信心是最主要的。当你让一个15或16岁的孩子在世界级F1工程师和评委面前做展示时，那相当不容易。这会培养出一种无所畏惧的气质。
“而且有些参赛孩子的水平……哇。他们不仅极其聪明，还能在世界舞台上清晰表达自己，说实话这非常棒。这造就了一些非常出色的全面发展型人才。”
不过，STEM Racing 不仅对参与的学生大有裨益，对 F1 车队本身而言，其重要性也在日益提升。在预算帽时代，识别并吸引下一代工程人才的工作开始得越来越早，大多数车队都已建立自己的工程青训学院、毕业生培养计划及其他实习项目，这并非巧合。
“所有车队都意识到年轻人才在团队中的重要性。新想法和新成员能带来巨大贡献，”迈凯伦赛事总监兰迪·辛格告诉 Motorsport.com。“我们在迈凯伦有一套非常成熟的毕业生培养计划，许多从该计划走出来的人这个周末就在赛道上，比如奥斯卡的性能工程师和我们的首席策略师。这是为车队引进顶尖人才的一种非常好的方式。”
“像 STEM Racing 这样的项目对那个年龄段的孩子非常有用，因为它能教你很多关于 F1 车队如何运作的知识。其中有设计、有研究，也有市场和商业方面。这些都是非常有用的经验。”
当被问及对有志于在 F1 或更广泛的赛车运动领域工作的青少年有何建议时，辛格回答说：“只要你参与某种深度的技术性工作，并且是以团队形式合作，无论是 STEM Racing、大学生方程式、火箭项目，甚至是将某项运动练到非常高的水平——这本身也相当有技术含量——那么我认为这确实能让你为在 F1 这样快节奏的团队环境中工作做好充分准备。
“我当然不会限制人们只走某一条路线，但这类事情对人们的申请有很大影响。有时候，处理团队的功能失调是一件关键的事情，而你在大学里直到进入职业环境才真正体验到，所以这非常有用。”
尽管这项赛事与F1的渊源已进入第26个年头，但创始人安德鲁·登福德认为，STEM Racing在2024年品牌重塑后才刚刚开始迎来转机。“你必须教育人们为什么需要在学校教授STEM，”登福德说，他同时也是家族经营的登福德公司的首席执行官，该公司为教育领域供应数控工具。
“我们于2000年启动这个项目，旨在让孩子们对工程和制造产生兴趣，最初是作为‘学校里的捷豹F1’，当他们退出F1时，伯尼·埃克莱斯顿允许我们继续使用F1的名称。这真的占据了我的全部生活。我们现在有77个国家参与该项目。水平不断提高。我得小心不要开始讲技术术语，因为他们会把我彻底比下去。”
F1在Netflix之后的 popularity 热潮也使得该项目的数字上升，STEM Racing现在在其路径中增加了几个入门级学校项目，面向年仅六岁的儿童，复杂程度各不相同。
当被问及他希望孩子们从STEM Racing中获得什么时，登福德说：“我们希望他们能发现自己的技能所在。如果你看看所有的职位角色——车队领队、空气动力学专家、制造工程师、市场营销或项目经理——他们会在那个六人团队中找到自己想做的事。”
“然后他们可以发展所学，并将其带入更广阔的世界。”
2026年决赛选手的未来去向尚不确定。有些人会进入F1围场、航空航天行业，或者走上一条截然不同、毫不相关的职业道路，这条道路甚至还未出现在地平线上。
但无论那条路是什么，他们都将带着在新加坡的经历以及一路磨练的技能，充满能量地迎接未来。
英文原文
Inside the competition building F1’s future engineering talent
As hundreds of students from around the world competed in Singapore at the STEM Racing World Final, the long-running engineering competition is gaining relevance as a potential pathway into Formula 1 and motorsports
Six Saudi Arabian high school students, four boys and two girls, are excitedly pacing around the Singapore F1 paddock.
They are known as Team Lynx Racing, the recently crowned winner of the annual STEM Racing World Finals, which was held in Singapore during the week leading up to the grand prix. Coming out on top of an international, four-day engineering competition, Lynx Racing received the 2026 trophy on the actual grand prix podium as they met the likes of two-time world champion Fernando Alonso and enjoyed an Aston Martin garage tour.
Some of them are hoping that it's not the last time they see an F1 garage up close - the next time, donning a team kit.
Since its inception in 2000 under the F1 in Schools moniker, STEM Racing has aimed to offer opportunities to talented children to pique their engineering curiosity and hone their skills through a demanding series of competitions.
Groups of three to six students are tasked with designing and manufacturing a miniature F1 car, powered by CO2 cartridges. The goal is to launch the car across a 20-metre track as quickly as possible at speeds of up to 70km/h. Winners of the regional and national competitions claim a place at the annual world finals to take on the best teams from around the world.
The 2026 edition in Singapore was the biggest one yet, with 91 student teams from 36 different countries represented, competing for a number of different awards judging their prowess.
Despite the cars' miniature sizes, the competition itself bears more than just a passing resemblance to F1. Teams are free to design and manufacture the cars themselves using professional CAD software, putting their knowledge of aerodynamics to the test as they shave drag off their cars.
The end product is manufactured on a CNC router, with the front and rear wings being 3D printed before being assembled, painted and finally raced. Adhering to a strict rulebook, cars must all pass scrutineering like a real race car would.
But they are also judged on off-track skills. Teams have to build a marketing portfolio and sponsorship plan, create a brand, hold verbal presentations to judges and build a pit booth display to combine all of that into an impressive product. And with a maximum of six students per team, there is no place to hide.
The question of marketing and funding becomes especially pertinent for teams who make it to the World Final and face a trip to Singapore, which is not an inexpensive undertaking for a group of up to six members plus their teacher or adult guide.
Strolling around the large ballroom of the Resort World Sentosa, where the 2026 finals are held, it's hard not to be taken aback by the level of competition, creativity and passion on display.
"I think it's important to gain experience, but I also love the competition element," says Noah of German team Spectrum, which would go on to take the third podium spot. "You really learn to work under pressure as a team."
Elsewhere, Aarav, team leader and design engineer at team Nebula from Singapore, said he enjoyed meeting and learning from his international peers. And like a true F1 designer, he was already stealing with his eyes as he checked on the competition. "The level here is so high," he said. "It is really interesting to see how other teams solve the same problems."
While there is no direct path to F1 given the age of most competitors, the initiative is supported by F1 and many of its teams. Many STEM Racing alumni have used the competition as a springboard to a relevant university degree and subsequently a place on an F1 team.
Greece's Kyriakos Theofanidis won the event in 2016 and is currently a mechanical engineer at Red Bull Ford Powertrains. James Mitchell from Australia competed at the World Finals as recently as 2003 before being snapped up by Aston Martin. Fellow STEM Racing alumnus Britain's Laurence Vines now works at Williams as a structural design engineer and still works for the event itself as a pundit, mentor and judge.
"I wanted to work in F1 and when I was 15 I wrote letters to all of the teams applying for work experience," Vines told Motorsport.com. "Not having any connections in the sport, I just had no clue what the way in was until I discovered the competition by coincidence. In partnership with what was then called F1 in Schools, Williams ran its engineering academy where they'd support you through your studies, and I knew that was my way in."
Vines says the competition helped him because it familiarised him with tools and methods like CA, CFD and FEA simulations much earlier. "Before I took part I didn't know what those things were. I wouldn't have touched them until university," he said. "At 15, I'm doing my first CAD, designing this miniature car. Under regulations which set you up so well to work in something like Formula 1. They're over 70 pages long with lots of detail.
Amy Martin used the competition to pursue an engineering degree, before switching to the financial world. Those passions eventually collided as she joined Mercedes High Performance Powertrains as a financial controller.
"At the start I wasn't really that interested in F1," she said. "I just got my friends together in school and we were one of the few all-girl teams at the World Finals that year. After we won the Marketing Award, I got selected for the Williams Engineering Academy in 2016. They took us into the paddock where I met Nico Rosberg. That was when I decided I would do anything to get into F1.
"For a 16-year-old girl, it was genuinely electrifying to be there and look at what my future could look like."
When asked what she felt she got out of the competition, she replied: "Confidence is the main thing. When you're asking someone who's 15 or 16 to hold a presentation in front of world-class F1 engineers and judges, that's pretty tough. It instills a level of fearlessness.
"And the standard of some of the kids who compete... wow. They are not just so incredibly intelligent, but to be able to articulate themselves on a world stage, it's honestly great. It has created some really good all-rounders."
STEM Racing isn't just a boon for the students taking part, though, but it's also growing in importance for F1 teams themselves. In a budget cap world, identifying and attracting the next generation of engineering talent has started earlier and earlier, and it's no coincidence the majority of teams have established their own engineering academies, graduate schemes and other placement programmes.
"All teams realise the importance of young talent in the team. New ideas and people contribute so much," McLaren's racing director Randy Singh told Motorsport.com. "We have a very established graduate scheme at McLaren and many of the people who've come off that scheme are here at track this weekend, like Oscar's performance engineer and our lead strategist. It's a really good way of getting super talent into the team.
"Things like STEM Racing are super useful for kids of that age because it teaches you a lot about how a Formula 1 team works. There's design, there's research, there's marketing and commercial aspects as well. That's all really useful experience."
When asked what his advice is to teenagers aspiring to work in F1 or the wider motorsport world, Singh replied: "As long as you're involved in some kind of deep technical endeavor where you work as a team, whether it's STEM Racing, Formula Student, rocketry, or even doing sports to a very high level can be in itself fairly technical, then I think that really equips you well to work in a fast-paced team environment like F1.
"I certainly wouldn't limit people to one route or another, but these kinds of things make a big difference to people's applications. Sometimes, dealing with the dysfunctions of a team is a key thing that you don't really experience at university until you get to a professional environment, so that's super useful."
Despite the event's long affiliation with F1 into its 26th year, founder Andrew Denford feels STEM Racing is only now starting to turn a corner following its 2024 rebrand. "You've got to educate people on why they need to teach STEM in school," said Denford, who is also the CEO of the family-run Denford company which supplies CNC tools to the education sector."
"We started this in 2000 to get kids interested in engineering and manufacturing, first as Jaguar F1 in schools and when they pulled out of F1, Bernie Ecclestone allowed us to keep using the F1 name. It's just consumed my life, really. We've now got 77 countries who are involved in the programme. The level keeps getting higher. I've got to be careful I don't start talking technical terms, because they'll just blow me out of the water."
F1's popularity boom post-Netflix has also seen the programme's numbers go up, with STEM Racing now adding several entry-level school programmes to its pathway for children as young as six, with varying degrees of complexity.
When asked what he wants children to get out of STEM Racing, Denford said: "We want them to find out what their skill set is. If you look at all the job roles; team principal, aerodynamicist, manufacturing engineer, marketing or project manager, they'll find within that team of six what they want to do.
"Then they can develop what they've learned and take it into the wider world."
Wherever the future may take any of the 2026 finalists is up in the air. Some will make it to the F1 paddock, the aerospace industry, or take a wildly different and unrelated career path that hasn't even emerged on the horizon yet.
But whatever that path may be, they will take on the future supercharged by their Singapore experience and the skills they honed along the way.
Motorsport.com ·
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