Finalists Assessed for Autosport Williams Engineer of the Future Award

Williams and Autosport are pleased to reveal the names of the five finalists for the 2019 Autosport Williams Engineer of the Future Award.

After numerous candidates were put forward by some of the UK’s leading universities, five students have been successful in reaching the final stage of the award which involved a two-day assessment centre.

The annual prize, which was introduced in 2015, names an engineering student from a UK university as a rising star of Formula One engineering and supports them with an accelerated career development programme at Williams.

Following a targeted application process that saw some of the UK’s top higher education establishments nominate their star engineering students for consideration, the below five impressed in the first application round before taking part in an assessment workshop at Williams HQ in Grove on 17-18 October 2019;

• Chris Ray, Loughborough University
• George Poulter, University of Sheffield
• Greg Jones, Imperial College London
• Max Poulter, University of Sheffield
• Luke Dardis, University of Bath

The assessment workshop saw the finalists complete a number of tasks designed to test their engineering know-how, team work, problem solving skills and personality fit. The students have been assessed by a panel of judges comprising leading industry, media and Formula One personnel;

• Nicola Salter, Williams Human Resources Director
• Edd Straw, Autosport Grand Prix Editor
• Doug McKiernan, Williams Design Director
• Adam Carter, Williams Chief Engineer Vehicle Programmes & Chief of Staff
• Dave Robson, Williams Senior Race Engineer
• Barney Hassell, Williams Head of Vehicle Dynamics

The winner of the Autosport Williams Engineer of the Future Award will be formally announced at the annual Autosport Awards on 8 December 2019. As part of their prize, they will be offered an initial two-year placement in an accelerated development programme that will see them mentored by senior engineers and rotate through various areas of Williams before finding their specialism. During the placement, they will also get the unique opportunity to work in the team’s race operations division and gain experience at a Grand Prix.

Speaking about the selection process Doug McKiernan, Design Director at Williams, said; “It is great to see that the Autosport Williams Engineer of the Future Award continues to grow and attract a high number of quality applications. All five of the selected candidates at our assessment centre showcased their engineering abilities at an extremely high level. Past winners have continued to thoroughly impress us at Williams, and I expect this year’s victor to be no exception.”

Edd Straw, Autosport Grand Prix Editor, added; “The standard of applicants is sky-high every year. The point of the Autosport Williams Engineer of the Future Award is to find the best of the best and it shows that Formula One continues to draw brilliant people to it. The finalists are put through their paces to show their academic and practical abilities as well as their ability to collaborate, communicate and think laterally - all qualities that an F1 team needs in its personnel. Autosport is proud to be able to contribute to finding someone who will become a future engineering leader in F1.”