A University of Aberdeen student is in pole position for a career in Formula 1 after landing a prestigious placement with the team responsible for designing, manufacturing and testing Mercedes F1 engines.
Nathaniel Carr, a fourth year MEng Mechanical Engineering student, will spend a year working with Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains (Mercedes AMG HPP) at their base in Brixworth, Northamptonshire.
The internship, which starts in September, will see Nathaniel work on the design of engine components and engine testing, among other duties. After completing the placement he will return to Aberdeen for the fifth and final year of his studies.
Nathaniel applied for the placement after seeing it advertised through the University’s Careers Service, and he was selected from a strong field of candidates following a competitive selection process that included a technical interview and team work exercise at the company’s assessment centre in Brixworth.
“There were ten students in total at the centre and the assessments involved a team work exercise, where you were observed while completing a group task, and then a technical interview with two of the company staff,” he explained.
“I felt I had a good experience on that day but walked away thinking I had no chance of getting the placement. I received a phone call about two weeks later offering me the placement, which I was obviously keen to accept!”
For motorsport enthusiast Nathaniel, who is a member of TAU Racing - Aberdeen University's Formula Student team - the chance to work on F1 engines is a dream come true.
In addition to supplying engines for Mercedes F1 cars, Mercedes AMG HPP provide engines for three other teams on the F1 grid.
Nathaniel said: “I have always had a passion for cars, motorbikes and motorsport, and through my involvement with TAU Racing I have gained valuable experience in designing and manufacturing components for the Formula Student car.
“Without this experience I wouldn’t have achieves as much as I have at University, and I definitely think it was a crucial factor in helping me get this internship with Mercedes AMG HPP.
“I've known for a while that I would love a career in motorsport and I feel really lucky to have achieved an engineering placement in Formula 1. All going well I hope that I am offered a graduate job once I have completed my degree.”
For more information on TAU Racing, visit http://www.abdn.ac.uk/engineering/about/formula-student-172.php