17 July 2017

On 4th July, Scholars travelled from as far away as Edinburgh and Newcastle to RenaultSport's Whiteways Technical Centre in Oxfordshire for the opportunity to see the inner workings of Formula 1 design and construction. 

24 Scholars met Arkwright Alumnus, and RenaultSport employee, Andrew Shedden for a guided tour of the Research Centre. Despite the facility currently undergoing a £30million upgrade programme, the Scholars were able to see most of the facilities and had time to examine a recent Formula 1 car up close with a personal commentary by Andrew Shedden.  

The tour allowed Scholars to see many of the processes involved in the design, testing and manufacture of a modern F1 car including the design studio, the rapid prototyping area, the main factory including the autoclaves and CNC machines, and the ‘craftsman’ area where exhaust pipes are still manufactured individually by hand. 

Arkwright's Schools' Liaison Officer for Oxfordshire, Paul Kennington said: "The focus was obviously on real world engineering, and although we were not allowed to view some areas which had 'sensitive work' going on, I was surprised at just how much we saw. The staff were superb and all the Scholars had a great time".