NEW DELHI: The 3rd season of F1 in Schools India – world’s largest STEM Challenge for school students, came to an end on Monday with a virtual closing ceremony, just like the national finals which was conducted online.
F1 in Schools is a Global Educational Initiative by Formula One for students aged 9-19 who work in teams of 3-6 to design and manufacture a miniature car out of an official F1 model block using CAD/CAM design tools. The competition is currently operational in around 51 countries and was first introduced in 1999 in the UK. The aim is to introduce young students to engineering and entrepreneurship in a fun experimental way.
This year the event was organised online due to the coronavirus pandemic. Even in such a difficult time, the students participated with the same zeal and came up with some brilliant ideas and innovations throughout the event.
The winners of this year’s virtual national finals are:
* National champions – Team Pentafluid, Genesis Global School, Noida
* 1st Runners Up – Team Blaze, The British School, New Delhi
* 2nd Runners Up – Team Hurricane, Heritage Xperiential Learning School, Gurgaon
* 3rd Runners Up – Team HyperBolt, Lotus Valley International School Noida
* 4th Runners Up – Team Allegro, The Ardee School, New Delhi
The top 3 teams will represent India at the upcoming world finals where teams from 50 countries will compete for the world title.
This year’s national finals started with a virtual opening ceremony where 400 students along with parents and school coordinators participated to understand future opportunities with STEM. The event was organised by STEM Club India with the purpose to educate benefits of STEM which will lead to skill improvement for all who get involved.
Yashraj Singh, country chief of F1 in Schools India & CEO Time Of Sports, thanked all the parents and schools authority for their support. “When the India chapter of F1 in Schools was formed, we had not perceived such an overwhelming response and participation from all over India. We are thrilled to see so much latent talent in these teenagers. It was an adrenaline rush to see the participants learning from this unique competition and innovating themselves to be ready for future challenges. From banging their brains to design their cars to learning of how to get brand associations and promote themselves through marketing. It is not just about this day. It takes one full year of preparations to compete,” said Singh.
The 3rd season of F1 in Schools India concluded after multiple regional rounds which included schools from Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Lucknow, and Delhi NCR. 80 teams qualified for the finale from across the country.
For the next season, Time of Sports are planning to have an open national final in early 2021. It will be a unique opportunity for participating teams as it will be much easier to reach the nationals. Top teams from this year will get direct entry into the national finals in 2021 and the rest will have a screening (virtual finals) to qualify for the finals.