Abu Dhabi student wins F1 opportunity

Sport360 staff 19:16 04/10/2016
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  • Shihab Solaiman (R) being congratulated on becoming the winner of Infiniti Engineering Academy 2016

    Having been selected from hundreds of entries and beating nine other finalists from across the Emirates in an intense shootout event at the Dubai Autodrome, 23-year-old Solaiman became first ever winner from the UAE.

    Solaiman will get to spend six months working at the Formula 1 team’s headquarters in Enstone and six months working at Infiniti’s European Technical Center in Cranfield. With F1 Technology more relevant to the automotive industry than ever, he will play a key role in the ongoing transfer of technical knowledge and expertise between the Renault Sport F1 Team and Infiniti.

    Commenting on his win, Solaiman said: “It’s an incredible feeling, I still can’t believe that I have won! All of the other contestants were extremely prepared and competitive.

    “I now have to concentrate and do my very best to prove that I am a worthy winner, and make the most of this fantastic opportunity.”

    The Infiniti Engineering Academy, now in its third year, is a one-of-a-kind global search for the world’s best up-and-coming engineers. For 2016, seven placements have been made available with one winner chosen each from USA, Canada, Mexico, Europe, United Arab Emirates, China and Asia–Pacific to work with the team.

    This unique training program for brilliant young engineers – made possible thanks to Infiniti’s technical partnership with Renault Sport F1 Team – has attracted 4,108 registrations from 44 different countries. A number of previous winners have gone on to secure full time careers in the automotive and motorsport industries.

    Juergen Schmitz, Managing Director, Infiniti Middle East, said: “At Infiniti, we believe in initiatives that help us to actively engage with our wider community and the 420 registrations from the UAE this year is yet again a great indication of how well it has been received.”

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