“I think it’s fair to say that it’s not just one thing or person that has inspired me to take on a career in motorsport; I enjoy a competitive environment – there’s nothing more tangible than where you cross the finish line every weekend,” says Engineering undergraduate Katrina Tse.
Working with some of the best engineers in the world was super-special. I was entrusted with a large amount of responsibility from day one. For me, that was key. I was able to ask questions and learn about absolutely everything and gain a true insight and feeling into working in this industry.
Student Kat Tse
Kat Tse, who is in the fourth year of her Master of Engineering (MEng) degree, is an incoming Graduate Performance Engineer at Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team.
Kat recently completed a 13-month industrial placement in the race engineering team. This involved supporting all races and track running tests either at the factory or trackside, as well as collaborating with other departments such as vehicle dynamics to analyse and improve car performance, whilst also contributing to analytical software capabilities that are bespoke for race engineering.
“There are not many industries in the world where you chase every last millisecond, but Formula One is one of them and it’s very special – you are always pushing the limits of what is possible,” said Kat.
“Working within race engineering, our department is focused around optimising the available package and setups as well as working with the drivers to maximise the number of points we bring back in the championship every race weekend.
“The vast majority of what we do is pre- and post-event work and analysis, as well as developing tools that will aid our weekend work. Of course, we also work all races and tests, whether at the track or back in the race support room at base in Brackley.
“Working at the pinnacle of motorsport is certainly not your normal nine-to-five job, especially working within race engineering, but it is rewarding in its own way. You really do ride the highs and lows with the team, and being at the forefront of the action adds to the excitement.”
Kat (far right) working with Italian racing driver Kimi Antonelli (centre) at his first F1 test. Credit: Mercedes.
Just the beginning
“As I look back on my placement year, I often make the comment that while there were lots of memorable moments like working my first race, my first time at the track, my first win with the team etc., nothing quite tops the fact that I know this isn’t it, and that the placement year is just the beginning.
“Working with some of the best engineers in the world was super-special. From my first day in the office getting to know everyone to the last day of my placement, where I really felt like part of the team, the one thing that was most surprising for me was the amount of responsibility I was entrusted with from day one. For me, that was key. I was able to ask questions and learn about absolutely everything and gain a true insight and feeling into working in this industry.”
Kat (Trinity College) is currently specialising in aerothermal/aeronautical and mechanical engineering at Cambridge.
“The basics of engineering that I have been taught at Cambridge have proven very helpful for understanding the more complex engineering I faced every day on my industrial placement,” she said. “For example, load transfer, vibrations, as well as analytic techniques that we apply on signals to perform further analysis.”
“However, the softer skills proved to be even more helpful,” she added. “For example, being able to approach everything with an open mind and look at things from different angles really helped.”
Kat (front, right) during her time as team leader of student society Full Blue Racing. Credit: Full Blue Racing.
A leader in the making
Kat has taken an active interest in motorsport throughout her degree, rising to the rank of team leader of student society Full Blue Racing, the University's Formula Student team, who design, build and race single-seater internal combustion cars.
“Having started in Full Blue Racing as a fresher, it was special to watch the team grow and to take charge of it in my third year,” she said. “Being in a position to oversee the development of the whole car and our packages, as well as working closely alongside our then technical director was a privilege and led to me developing and improving on a lot of my practical manufacturing skills very quickly.”
Additionally, for one of her third-year projects, Kat chose to focus on automotive suspension – an introduction to basic vehicle dynamics and suspension design.
Kat was tasked with designing a front suspension for a single-seater race car in Formula Student from scratch. She was required to consider the inherent characteristics that would need to be embedded into the system, including certain design parameters, as well as creating detailed drawings for several key components.
Kat went on to win a Department of Engineering prize for her top ranked project in third year.
“This project was very good for getting an initial insight into what forms the basis of more complicated race cars like Formula One cars.”
As Kat embarks on her final year of university before starting her graduate job in race engineering, we asked her: what is your message to others interested in a career in motorsport?
“Always dream big and believe you can achieve the impossible,” she said. “Just because it hasn’t happened yet, doesn’t mean you can’t change that!”
The Department of Engineering runs an Industrial Placements scheme and supports current undergraduate students as they search and apply for summer internships. The Department also works closely with employers to promote vacancies and encourage applications for their internship opportunities. To find out more, email the Industrial Placements Co-ordinator.
