1st 'F1 in Schools' challenge held in Beijing

Guests attend the opening ceremony of "F1 in Schools" in Beijing on Aug 2. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The first "F1 in Schools" China National Final of the Formula One Technology Challege was held in Beijing on Aug 2.

Too young to compete in an actual Formula One (F1) race, these kids are completely qualified to design and manufacture a model F1 race car. This week 24 teams of students from across China, ranging in age from 9-19, gathered at Red 1 Karting in Beijing to compete in the 2015 National Final of the Formula One Technology Challenge.

Zheng Jianbang, a member of the national standing committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference attended the opening ceremony and made an observation. He pointed out that "F1 in Schools", the Formula One Technology Challenge, as an engineering and design action-learning project for students, best improved the innovation ability of the next generation. He also expressed thanks to the Innovation Education Center of China for its great support to the event.

Andrew Denfor, founder of F1 in Schools, also praised the program.

"These students are really fantastic. The quality of the work they produce and the cars they design are the best in the world. I just see them getting better and better. Great innovation will certainly separate the best teams from the rest of the world. It's the first year for Chinese students to experience this program. The kids should keep trying and go for it, just like the spirit of Formula One," Denfor told China Daily.

As one of the sponsors of F1 in Schools in China, VIPABC, the world's leading online English teaching institution, has paid much attention to high-tech innovation.

"The sponsorship to F1 in Schools fits the management strategy and the vision of the company, which will facilitate the sound development of technological innovation in China. The students of Beijing Yu Cai School have shown great passion and innovative spirit during the contest. That's the reason why we decide to be their sponsor," said Kouler Liu, brand strategy manager of VIPABC.

The competition known as "F1 in Schools" was initiated in 1999 by Denfour, a British engineer, who wanted to encourage more students to study engineering. Each year, over 1.5 million students worldwide participated in the F1 in Schools Technology Challenge and competed at the regional and national level. During the four-day competition, schoolchildren will form teams to design, analyze, test, build and race miniature CO2 powered, balsa wood F1 race cars capable of 80km/h. Students need to manage the whole process as a real business project. The top three teams of this national final will compete for the F1 in Schools World Champions title next month in Singapore.