On Thursday 2nd February, a group of around 40 maths students from year 11, 12 and 13 went on an exciting trip to the Formula One Racetrack, Silverstone.

On our arrival, we were split into 3 groups. Some of us went for a track tour around a part of the old race track and saw some Formula 4 racers flying around the track on a practice run. It was a great opportunity to see some of the cars up close; allowing us to appreciate both the speed and agility of the cars.

Another group had a talk from one of the experts at Silverstone who talked to us about all the different career paths that can lead to Formula 1. He went on to explain what it takes to become an F1 driver or part of the crew behind the scenes that makes the raceday possible. We learnt that there were up to one thousand jobs available per car racing (whether in design, development or practical mechanics) which was very inspiring as it emphasised that it is very possible to get a job in racing. It was also really exciting and beneficial to have first hand experience with real life mechanics and see it in action.

To finish the day, we were able to look round the interactive museum, where we learnt about the history of Silverstone and got to experience a one hundred and eighty degree immersive cinema experience where we got to feel as if we were an actual racer going round the track. That was by far the best moment of the trip as it was great to see what the track is like from the point of view of a professional racer.

By Benji and Alex, Year 12