Representatives from SEMS including the Formula Student team attended an event organised by Motorsport UK and the Association for Black & Minority Ethnic Engineers to discuss diversity within Motorsport and share advice for young people wishing to enter the industry.

Panellists included Laila Fadli, F1 Simulation Engineer at Mercedes AMG-HPP, Gerren Ntiri, Oxford Brookes Motorsport Engineering Student and Mission 44 Scholar (2024), Rebecca Garratty Automotive / Motorsport Recruitment Consultant, and George Brown, Design Engineer at Red Bull.

Rebecca stated that the Motorsport industry can feel like a tight knit boys club and is very competitive, but there are ways to find opportunities.

Key advice discussed included:

• State every single work experience on your CV, don’t worry if its not in Motorsport, many have transferable skills. Working in a Café can show teamwork, working under pressure and time management – essential for motorsport! Don’t undervalue your skills
• Losing out on a role could be for something minor, such as an extra work experience, someone you know, knowledge shared at interview, so do you best to make sure you are demonstrating your motivation to join the industry such as volunteering for a local team
• Networking online is great for connecting with professionals in the industry, get a good profile, make sure you show your personality in your messages, don’t rely on chat gbt. Try to think what you can offer the people you connect with.

Gerren and Laila shared their experience of the Mission 44 MSc Motorsport scholarship, created with the support of Mission 44, which aims to support individuals from Black or mixed Black ethnic backgrounds who wish to study a master’s degree in motorsport.

Mission 44 was founded by Sir Lewis Hamilton, whose first-hand experience of an education system that worked against him, and whose success as the only person of colour in his field, have left him determined to build a fairer, more inclusive future for young people around the world.

SEMS students who wish to apply for the MSc Motorsport Scholarship who fit the criteria must apply by 13 March 2025.