.
Formula Student banner wider

Aston Formula Student

Aston University is now in its twelfth year of competing at Formula Student and each year has seen improvements in both the technology used and the results achieved by the team made up of keen and enthusiastic Final Year Engineering students.

What is Formula Student?

Formula Student is the biggest and best of its kind in Europe. Run by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), it promotes careers and excellence in engineering, by challenging university students to design, build, develop, market and compete as a team with a small single seater racing car. Formula Student attracts entries from universities all over the World: the UK, mainland Europe and from the Americas, Asia and Australasia.

More information on the Formula Student competition

Formula Student 2012

Team Facing Pic
This is Aston’s twelfth year of Formula Student – and it’s going to be our best!

Each year a team of students designs and builds a race car ‘from the tyres up’ and then competes at Silverstone circuit against teams from around the globe. Typically we are the best-placed university in the West Midlands and top 25% globally but the year-by-year improvements we’ve hoped for haven’t materialised.

As always we’ve faced our share of technical and time challenges and we’ve spent the year playing catch-up; but the car promises to be good and we have a committed team and improved management process; we've put more effort into process, quality and manufacturing control.
Our new weapons this year include a lighter car, Honda race engine with automatic clutch, better chassis design, and better business and design plans for the static events. The Formula Student event at Silverstone is 11 – 15 July 2012 – why not come along and see how we get on?

Prof Geoff Tansley
Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Formula Student 2011 - Results

The Aston University team members have achieved an exceptional car in the Formula Student 2011 event, finishing 44th of 79 competing universities.

This result by no means represents the effort and determination applied by the students, who have worked early mornings, weekends and even throughout the night on a number of occasions in order to have the car ready and raring to go at the competition at Silverstone. Despite being waterlogged by the dreadful weather, spirits were high and enthusiasm was huge. Their great hopes were dashed when, at the half-way point of the final event - the change of drivers in the endurance race - the engine refused to start, and despite all efforts, remained silent.

However, one of the highlights of the team's success was in the sprint event. In their first run Aston completed the sprint in 82.580 seconds, following up with an amazing 70.920 seconds in the second run, beating our local universities and achieving 24th place overall. Another successful event for Aston University was the acceleration event, finishing 2nd among local universities and a very respectable 30th overall.

Many congratulations are due to the team members - the School of Engineering & Applied Science is very proud of them! Next week they will be adding their comments and pictures to this page, once they have had time to recuperate!
 

Aston Formula Student 2011 (1)
Aston Formula Student (2)