The annual competition is designed for students to implement their knowledge of science, technology, engineering and mathematics in creating their own F1 team, with the champions qualifying for the World Finals taking place in Singapore in September 2017.
Not only did the youngsters build and race their model car but they also impressed the judges through presentations, promotional pit displays and design portfolios.
With 18 competitive teams from different schools at the iconic venue, 21m/s of Our Own High School Al Warqa, topped the podium in the Professional category, while GEMS Wellington International’s Vortex claimed the Rookie award.
It capped a strong day for both champions, who took home nine accolades between them across six categories.
“It’s absolutely amazing and gives us extra confidence for the World Championship Finals,” said Nenad Ranisavljevic, team leader of the six-member group Vortex.
“The team performed really well and worked together and now we will turn our focus to the World Finals. It’s a proud moment for all of us. It took two years to get ready for this and we had to work on this project after school as well as some late nights but it all came down to dedication.”
For 21m/s, they got the job done without their team leader Chris Jacob, who was hundreds of miles away in Las Vegas for a mathematics competition. But he was very much part of the team celebrations thanks to Skype after being wide awake at 04:30 (Las Vegas time).
“We really are over the moon right now and as we entered as a team, it was only right we celebrated as a team,” said Siddharth Soman of 21m/s.
“We spent the last year working on this and it finally paid off and it’s extremely satisfying. We made sure we didn’t keep things until the last minute and thought creatively.”
While he expects an even sterner test come September in Asia, the 16-year-old is upbeat about their chances: “Definitely we can do well there. The challenges were tough and requires you to think of different aspects as well as being an all-rounder.”
