🔹Behind The Lanyard

Spotlight on Alexander Salmon

Last Monday, I had the privilege of being a judge at the inaugural Formula 1 in Schools Jersey Regional Final, hosted at the college. The Digital Jersey team invited me to take part, and given my deep-rooted passion for motor racing—both as a competitor and through my voluntary work with the Jersey International Motoring Festival—I couldn’t say no.

The F1 in Schools team also invited my dad, Steve (Lead Organiser of J.I.M.F.), to join the judging panel. I’m always keen to get young people involved in the sport that has shaped so much of my life, so I took the day off and put myself forward to support the event.

The competition featured three classes:

• Entry Level (ages 11–14)
• Development Class (ages 11–19)
• Professional Class (ages 14–19)

Each class had its own criteria and scoring weightings, but the core challenge remained the same—students had to form a team that mirrored the behind-the-scenes work of a real Formula 1 project. That meant:

✔️ Designing a car using CAD software and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) testing, then compiling their concepts and findings in a design portfolio.
✔️ Branding their team with a livery design, sponsorships, and partnerships, alongside an enterprise portfolio detailing marketing and project management strategies.
✔️ Competing on race day—presenting their Design & Engineering portfolio to one judging panel, their Enterprise Portfolio to another, and finally racing their car on a 20-metre track. Just like in real F1, the cars had to pass scrutineering first!

My role focused on judging the verbal presentations for the Entry Level class. Even among the youngest teams, the professionalism in their designs, branding, and pit displays was remarkable. One standout was a team from Beaulieu, who formed a technical partnership with Winchester University. The university provided feedback on their CAD designs and CFD data, helping them refine their car—exactly the kind of real-world collaboration seen in professional motorsport.

The stakes were high, with winners in each class securing a place at the National Finals in Rotherham next month. Success there could take them all the way to the World Finals in Jeddah, where they’d compete against teams from more than 30 countries for the championship title.

It was incredible to be part of a judging panel that included local engineering and tech professionals—as well as figures from the world of F1. Sitting in the Academy briefing room next to Ben Brown, senior engineer for Williams F1, and Ian Rhodes, former CEO of McLaren Applied Technologies, was a surreal experience.

Overall, it was an unforgettable event, and from where I sat, I firmly believe Highlands College needs a team in 2026. If there’s interest, I’d be more than happy to step down as a judge and help make it happen.

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