F1 in Schools is the world’s largest STEM initiative with over 1 million students participating worldwide. 

As Formula 1’s official education program it’s primary focus is on engineering and innovation. Teams of 4-6 students (aged 9-18) are challenged to design, manufacture, test and race a miniature f1 car. The race track is straight, with 2 lanes, and spans 20m.

Powered by compressed CO2 gas, cars reach up to 80Km/hr covering the track in around 1 second. 

Furthermore, there is an enterprise aspect to the competition. Within the team there are marketing, sponsorship and social media roles who are in charge of raising finances and promoting the team. 

At the national and international finals teams bring their own booth (called a pit display) where visitors can find out more about the team and their achievements. 

In conclusion, F1 in Schools teams function like miniature companies and promote teamwork, respect and communication among students, something that the current education system lacks. A common misconception is that F1 in Schools seems to be only about engineering, which is incorrect, as the skills learnt can be applied to anything from medicine to graphic design. 

Within the framework of The Heritage’s school STEM activities for SLAM, the school participated in the F1 competition for two consecutive years with two teams per year. 

Both in 2019 (ORION Team) and 2020 (EXCENTRA Team) our school teams won the competition and were given the opportunity to represent Cyprus to the World F1 Competition.

ORION Team represented Cyprus in the World Finals in Abu Dhabi.