Ding’s Year In Industry at Mercedes Petronas F1

Ding’s Year In Industry at Mercedes Petronas F1

Considering a placement year? Hear what our students had to say.

Where were you located for your placement and what work/projects were you involved with?

I spent my placement year at Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 team in Brackley, UK. I’ve had an interest in Formula 1 for a long time, and at the time of applying, a few of the teams had various placement positions open, so I applied to all of the ones that I was interested in. As one of the most successful teams, I was very glad to have been offered a position with Mercedes Formula 1, particularly because I’d heard a lot about its excellent people and culture.

I was offered a role in the performance group, focusing on the simulation and performance optimisation of the car, which involved lot of mechanics and coding knowledge, as well as the engineering mindset of analysing and problem-solving, which fit my interests and skillset well.

What made you want to do a placement year?

I was looking to gain industry experience during my degree and the placement scheme looked like a perfect way to do that. I wanted to experience what it was like to work as a professional engineer and see how engineering companies function in general, which would later help me to specialise in a particular area.

How has the placement benefited you and what have you learnt?

The placement offered me a fantastic opportunity to work in F1 with the most advanced technologies under big budgets. Whilst you are there, you are surrounded by team members that are highly motivated and knowledgeable about their work, and are also highly supportive of each other, so you get to learn a huge amount and have a really good time working with the team. There is the no blame culture in the company where people don’t dwell on the individuals’ mistakes but instead carry responsibilities and learn from mistakes together as a team, so you can get focused on work and be proactive about any ideas or questions.

As a placement student, you get to be fully integrated within the team and directly contribute to car performance just as every other employee. You get to develop your technical skillset as well as other soft skills, which are very beneficial for your future career.

I have gained good experience and comprehensive insights into the world of Formula 1, both in terms of the technical skills and working in a team. Specifically for my role, I learned a lot of technical skills like coding, simulation, thermodynamics, data analysis, as well as more transferable skills such as good engineering practice and the mindset for problem-solving, which have made me more prepared coming back to university and planning for a future career.

What are your standout moments from the placement?

The testing of the new car before the 2022 season was definitely one of the highlights, as we had been working on the new car throughout winter and it was great to see the hard work come to fruition.

The Brazil and Saudi Arabia races in 2021 were also good highlights as Lewis Hamilton secured two hard-fought victories through a series of very dramatic events. Those are the sort of races that get people excited and emotional and stay in our memory for a long time.

What advice would you give to somebody considering a Year in Industry?

I personally found the Industrial Mentoring scheme led by the ILO really helpful. The advice from my mentor was really inspiring and it was one of the reasons that prompted me to do a placement year. There are also lots of resources regarding the application process, how to write and tailor your CV available via the careers service to guide you.