A Hull student won a dream work experience placement with a top Formula 1 team. Aspiring F1 engineer Jasper Gourley was one of only 20 students from across the country to win a chance to meet the team at Williams Racing.

The 18-year-old secured the sought-after opportunity during his sixth form studies at Ron Dearing UTC. He 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.

The team is one of the most successful in the history of F1, with its cars driven by some of the biggest names on the Grand Prix circuit over the years. Its drivers have included Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Nelson Piquet and Damon Hill.

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Jasper, who achieved A-levels in maths, further maths and physics, and an engineering technical qualification at Ron Dearing UTC, now plans to study mathematics at Durham University. He hopes to become a F1 engineer in the future.

He 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 Gourley stands in front of the main fan in the wind tunnel used to test the aerodynamic performance of cars at Williams Racing.
Jasper Gourley stands in front of the main fan in the wind tunnel used to test the aerodynamic performance of cars at Williams Racing.

During his placement Jasper also 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 also won a VIP experience day at Aston Martin’s state-of-the-art headquarters after competing in the F1 in Schools UK challenge with other Ron Dearing UTC students. It is the world’s largest Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) competition, with more than a million schoolchildren from 40 countries taking 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). They must 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. During his day at Aston Martin with another Ron Dearing UTC student he said he learned 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.

The Ron Dearing UTC Ron Racing team, including budding motorsport engineer Jasper Gourley, finished fifth overall in the UK National Finals of the F1 in Schools challenge. Pictured, from left, are Elliot Johnson, Will Jones, Heidi Porter, Jasper and Harry Tyler
The Ron Dearing UTC Ron Racing team, including budding motorsport engineer Jasper Gourley, finished fifth overall in the UK National Finals of the F1 in Schools challenge. Pictured, from left, are Elliot Johnson, Will Jones, Heidi Porter, Jasper and Harry Tyler

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."

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."

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