The Institution of Mechanical Engineers has partnered with Williams Esports for the upcoming Formula Student Sim Racing Series spanning from 2023 to 2025. Formula Student has consistently been regarded as a proving ground for the future generation of engineers to apply their skills and face challenges that mirror those in the industry.
Introduced in 2021 and currently engaging 47 universities worldwide, the Sim Racing Series challenges student engineering teams with the opportunity to partake in regular races and formal engineering challenges throughout the year.
Backed by the heritage and proficiency of Williams Racing, The esports company has established itself as a prominent team on the global stage. Their dedication to nurturing talent and fostering innovation matches the fundamental principles of the FS Sim Racing Series.
Dan Jones, chief judge for Formula Student said, “In 2020 we ran the virtual FS event from our homes, with sim racing for the Dynamic Events. The growth in the Sim Race series since then has been fantastic and a prime example of Formula Student continuing to innovate and broaden our offering to the students.”
“We are delighted to formalise this partnership with Williams ESports. Hosting the live final for our 2023 series at their world-class facility is an exciting first step on this journey and we look forward to sharing our plans for the 2024 series and beyond with the teams soon,” Jones added.
Challenging students
This partnership symbolises a shared vision to create new opportunities for talented students to improve their simulation and modelling abilities, ultimately enhancing real-world performance. As a part of the collaboration, Williams Esports will organise the Formula Student Sim Race Series within the Williams Esports community. This move will further put a spotlight on the series, reaching a broader audience as it progresses.
Steven English, director of Williams Esports said, “We’re delighted to announce this partnership with Formula Student. We’ve been collaborating for some time, as we have shared interests in this space, so it’s great to formalise the relationship and allow us to build more mutual value together in future.
“We’ve invested heavily in recent years in sim racing engineering and have learned how closely the practises of real-world and virtual race engineering are aligned. We use all the same tools, methods and skills as motorsport, so we’re able to use sim racing as part of a career development pathway for aspiring motorsport engineers.”
The finals will be held at Williams’ headquarters at Grove, where teams will be able to use high-level sim racing rigs to compete for this year’s championship. Those attending the Formula Student competition at Silverstone in July also had the chance to try out the sim racing rigs for themselves.
In the 2023 series onwards, Williams Esports will provide support for regular engineering challenges between races. Teams will submit an A4 paper analysis using MoTeC data, judged by a panel of engineers alongside Williams’ benchmark.
This year’s Sim Racing Series finals will be streamed live from Williams Esports at Grove from July 22st during the Formula Student 2023 competition; to follow all the action simply visit the Formula Student YouTube channel.
Isa Muhammad is a writer and video game journalist covering many aspects of entertainment media including the film industry. He's steadily writing his way to the sharp end of journalism and enjoys staying informed. If he's not reading, playing video games or catching up on his favourite TV series, then he's probably writing about them.
