All-girls college team reach F1 mini-car final

A group of female engineering students have become the first from their college to reach the final of a national racing contest where teams design and race miniature Formula 1 cars.

Kierra Rowe, Abigail Susan Arun, Adeline Muyengwa, Geovana De Menezes and Grace Ward from Northampton College have made it to the Stem Racing UK final after winning the regional round.

The competition, backed by Formula 1, asks students aged nine to 19 to design, build, test and race miniature cars while learning engineering, marketing and project‑management skills.

"Another team [that won their round] was an all-girls team as well, so it's quite nice to know that an all-girls team is doing well," said Grace.

The competition saw students race miniature F1 cars they had designed and built by launching them down a 20m (66ft) track using compressed air.

The Northampton College team kept the design minimalistic to improve aerodynamics and reduce weight.

Their car weighed 60.5g, just 0.5g above the minimum, and it completed the drag race in 1.443 seconds.

The students also gained practical experience using 3D printers and specialist software, managing the entire process from initial concept through to final production.

They will now compete for the UK title at the Magna Science Adventure Centre in Rotherham next month.

"[The final] will definitely be more competitive. We are improving and we know what we are doing," added Abigail.

Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.