INFINITI Engineering Academy winners begin their dream careers in Formula One

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04-10-2023, 04:09 AM

Hong Kong – Exciting new chapters began this month in the careers of the seven winners of the 2016 INFINITI Engineering Academy, as they started their dream engineering placements with INFINITI and the Renault Sport Formula One™ Team.The winners were initially selected from more than 4,000 hopefuls, having beaten nine of their qualifier peers in their respective regional final events around the world. The university students and budding young engineering talents have now spent their first days in their new job roles in the UK.Caitlin Bunt (24, USA), Felix Lamy (21, Canada), Alexandros Palaiologos (24, Mexico), Riccardo Manfredini (24, Italy), Xuezi Li (23, China), Shihab Solaiman (23, UAE) and Jaden Partridge (21, Australia), all won a once-in-a-lifetime, 12-month placement - split between automotive and Formula One™ engineering - plus accommodation, access to an INFINITI Q30 company car and a full salary.Having relocated to the UK and now sharing two Academy houses near their work placements - at the INFINITI Technical Center in Cranfield (Milton Keynes) and the Renault Sport Formula One Team in Enstone (Oxfordshire) - the winners of the third successive and biggest yet edition of the Academy have moved into their new homes, taken induction courses at each of the engineering centers and met their senior engineer mentors. A busy first few days that are indicative of the 12-month program ahead for each new engineer.Technology transferA key pillar of the INFINITI Engineering Academy is exploring crossover opportunities and the sharing of technology between INFINITI road car and Renault Sport Formula One race car projects. As the seven Academy winners split their placements in half between each company, they will be the driving forces behind this technology transfer. These exchanges of key primary data will benefit INFINITI road car customers and the Formula One™ racing team.INFINITI's Technical Partnership with the Renault Sport Formula One™ Team was formed at the beginning of the 2016 racing season. The partnership was born out of a desire to communicate the technical story of INFINITI's performance credentials and knowhow, most notably their market lead in high performance road car hybrid technology, similar to that used in Formula One™.INFINITI road car models deploy powerful electric energy through their hybrid powertrains to boost performance, and INFINITI engineers already lend their expertise in this area to the F1™ team. INFINITI's extensive research and development laboratories also assist the Formula One™ engineers in other areas too. For example, INFINITI's modern 7-post chassis testing rig will be the perfect test bed for the race team's 2017 race car chassis development. It can exert the immense forces required to mimic the great real-world forces that will be generated by the new era of wider tire, higher grip Formula One™ cars, set to race for the first time in 2017."With Formula One more relevant to the automotive industry than ever and our Academy engineers at the cutting edge of both automotive and motorsport engineering, we are perfectly placed to explore, understand and encourage the crossover of technology between our two companies and disciplines," said Tommaso Volpe, Global Director, INFINITI Motorsport. "The Academy engineers will meet monthly, alongside their mentors, to share the freshest thinking and brightest ideas between the two industries. INFINITI as a global brand brings two key elements to the Renault Sport Formula One Team: expertise in the Energy Recovery Systems (ERS) through its Performance Hybrid technology, and an international diversity of young, fresh thinking engineering talent, thanks to the INFINITI Engineering Academy."Embed this cinemagraph on your website Embed this cinemagraph on your website Embed this cinemagraph on your website New facets to the competition The 2016 Academy winners' journeys will be more closely documented than ever before, with the commissioning for the first time of a documentary to follow them. With filming soon to commence, the engineers' cutting edge projects will be recorded, as will an exciting extra element to their 12-month placements – the chance to win just one engineering place with the Renault Sport Formula One™ Team at the first race of the 2017 season in Melbourne, Australia, in March.Based on two challenges – one in automotive engineering and one in Formula One™ engineering – the top performing Academy engineer will fly to Australia for this incredible opportunity. The engineering competition within the Academy isn't over yet.The 2016 Academy winners will wish to emulate the 2015 INFINITI Engineering Academy European winner, Daniel Sanham, who has signed a contract with the Renault Sport Formula One Team to commence work in July 2017, after completing the final year of his electrical engineering degree at Nottingham University, U.K.From a once-in-a-lifetime engineering career opportunity with the INFINITI Engineering Academy, to a dream job with a historic Formula One team, Daniel is one of several Academy success stories; an inspiration to this year's winners and future winners. 2016 Academy Winner Bios Name: Caitlin Bunt (USA)Age: 24University: Kettering University, Michigan (Undergraduate Degree) and Oxford Brookes University, UK (Master's Degree).From: Rockford, Illinois.Biggest positive impact in life: My parents, but particularly my Dad who has been a huge influence in my move towards a career in engineering.Most looking forward to about living/working in the UK: The chance to explore all of the historic cities.Greatest strength: I think my communication skills serve me well and have helped me to win the Academy. Name: Felix Lamy (Canada)Age: 21University: McGill University.From: Gatineau, Quebec.Biggest positive impact in life: My parents are the ones who undeniably had the biggest positive impact on my life. They have sparked my curiosity and my desire to learn, and most of all, they inspired me to always be optimistic and encouraged me to adopt a positive attitude in every situation.Most looking forward to about living/working in the UK: The UK has such a rich history of technical innovation in the aerospace and automotive domains. I would be very excited to have the opportunity to be part of and hopefully play an important role in one of those industries. Living in the UK will also provide me the opportunity to learn more about the British life and culture.Greatest strength: My ability to listen, especially to other's comments and ideas. Name: Alexandros Palaiologos (Mexico)Age: 23University: Technologico de Monterrey.From: Mexico City.Biggest positive impact in life: My uncle, he pushed me to come to Mexico and change my life.Most looking forward to about living/working in the UK: British work culture and the racing industry in the UK.Greatest strength: I am passionate about my career. Name: Riccardo Manfredini (Europe)Age: 24University: Brescia University.From: Brescia, Italy.Biggest positive impact in life: My family, girlfriend and friends all have a positive impact on my life since I always try to keep up with them and get the best from them.Most looking forward to about living/working in the UK: I am really looking forward to this experience. It is a unique opportunity for growth as a person, as an engineer, to know new people and to work in a fascinating environment.Greatest strength: Determination. Name: Li Xuezi (Sally) (China)Age: 23University: Beijing Institute of Technology.From: Chengdu.Most looking forward to about living/working in the UK: Experiencing the race car culture and enjoying BBC TV at the same time.Greatest strength: Quick learner. Name: Shihab Solaiman (UAE)Age: 23University: The Petroleum Institute.From: Abu Dhabi.Biggest positive impact in your life: My dad. He worked hard for everything he has and never took anything in life for granted.Most looking forward to about living/working in the UK: I look forward to the fast-paced and culturally diverse environment. Working in multidisciplinary teams in the forefront of engineering has always been my dream.Greatest strength: I am committed to things I am passionate about. Name: Jaden Partridge (Asia-Oceania)Age: 21University: Queensland University of Technology.From: Nundah, Brisbane, Australia.Biggest positive impact in life: My parents, although they don't have engineering backgrounds, they have supported to pursue my dream of working in the automotive and motorsport industries.Most looking forward to about living/working in the UK: Visiting a Formula One factory for the first time and getting to work with the incredible technology in the industry.Greatest Strength: Persistence to follow a passion. I have entered the motorsport industry with no prior associations and have become a respected member of a team by demonstrating my commitment through volunteer positions. # # #About INFINITI INFINITI Motor Company Ltd. is headquartered in Hong Kong with sales operations in over 50 countries. The INFINITI brand was launched in 1989. Its range of premium automobiles is currently built in manufacturing facilities in Japan, the United States, United Kingdom and China. INFINITI plans to also expand manufacturing into Mexico by 2017.INFINITI design studios are located in Atsugi-Shi near Yokohama, London, San Diego and Beijing.INFINITI is in the middle of a major product offensive. The brand has been widely acclaimed for its daring design and innovative driver-assistance technologies.From the 2016 season, INFINITI is a technical partner of the Renault Sport Formula One team, contributing its expertise in hybrid performance.More information about INFINITI and its industry leading technologies can be found at http://www.INFINITI.com. You can also follow INFINITI on Facebook, LinkedIn and see all our latest videos on YouTube. ContactFor INFINITI global communications:Trevor C. Hale Head of Global Communications INFINITI MOTOR COMPANY LTD. T: +852 3948 0145 M: +852 9664 1271 [email protected] http://www.infiniti.com

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