Apply to Imperial Formula Racing

We recruit on one thing: a short task that you do in your own time, on your own computer, and submit as a file. No CV, no interview. Pick the sub-team you want to join, read its task, do it, then sign in with your Imperial email and upload your work. You can apply to up to 2 sub-teams, ranked first and second choice, with a task for each.

Applications close at the end of Sunday 4 October. Outcomes are emailed to every applicant on Tuesday 6 October, once the leads have read every submission.

Aero and Composites

Apply here to become a member of Aero and Composites. Tasks will be designing and manufacturing composite components, designing aero packages for 2027 and 2028, and improving CFD simulation methodology.

Aero and Composites~4 h
Closed Sunday 4 October · Please submit a 2-4 page PDF containing design reasoning, screenshots of CAD for task 1, CAD & FEA for task 2, and CAD & CFD for task 3. Clearly state your name, course, and year of study.

Chassis

Apply here to become a member of the chassis team! Here you won’t just learn how a car works, you’ll design, manufacture and assemble it too. You’ll take direct ownership and deliver real performance gains in key systems, including the pedalbox, the braking system and the firewall.

Chassis~4 h
Closed Sunday 4 October · Please submit a single PDF (under 4 mb) containing relevant evidence of your work, such as research, neat sketches, CAD/FEA screenshots, concept ideas, and evaluations. Ensure all brief questions are clearly answered and section headings are labelled.

Drivetrain

Apply here to become a member of the Drivetrain team! We focus on the area of the car that delivers & transmits power from the engine to the wheels. This development cycle we will be focusing on optimising weight of the system & testing with the newly developed spool differential.

Drivetrain~4 h
Closed Sunday 4 October · A PDF via the submission template

Electronics

Apply here to become a member of the electronics team! This year we will be wiring the car from scratch, from design to driving. Some of the things this will involve are manufacturing PCBs, selecting new sensors and using CAD to design a new dashboard. We shall also strongly prioritise error checking and reliability.

Electronics~4 h
Closed Sunday 4 October · A PDF containing the design along with a written explanation of your design process and choices. Please clearly include your name, course and year group on the PDF.

Engine

Apply here to become a member of the Engine sub-team. We look after the Ninja 400 engine and everything that keeps it running, from the intake, fuel, oil and cooling systems to the exhaust, shifter and integration into the car. This year our main focus is redesigning the entire intake system, improving our engine tuning and dyno setup, and developing a new electromechanical shifter. You'll get hands-on experience with CAD, CFD, manufacturing and engine testing.

Engine~4 h
Closed Sunday 4 October · Submit one PDF write-up, uploaded to the website, covering your chosen task and explaining your design choices and reasoning. Include any sketches, diagrams, CAD screenshots or CFD plots. For Tasks C and D, also email your CAD model (SLDPRT or STEP) to matthew.russell23@imperial.ac.uk.

Manufacturing

Apply here to become a member of the Manufacturing team. Tasks will be to manufacture parts in the STW and at Hackspace. Demand for part fabrication is dependent on other teams requiring additional support.

Manufacturing~1 h
Closed Sunday 4 October · Please submit a short description your of your past manufacturing experience. Max 200 words.

Operations

Apply here to become a member of Operations! We are a completely separate wing from the technical branch. Ops does many things, but the crux of it is communicating what IFR does to a range of audiences, including students, sponsors, the public and more, while working closely with the technical team. This could include pitching, logo design, social media engagement, event organisation and much more. Please have a read through the brief to get a better idea of what each Ops sub-team entails. If you want a space where you are given the equipment to film, edit, upload content or work with high profile sponsors ranging from PE to Engineering or organise socials and events for your friends to show up, this is THE place for you. Good luck!

Operations~1 h
Closed Sunday 4 October · Video to mk1321@ic.ac.uk

Performance

Apply here to become a member of the Performance sub-team. We will be focused on maintaining a lap time simulation to support designers in their decisions as well as using on car sensor data to validate the model. Additionally, we will be supporting the test days by deciding on set-ups and by analysing the data live to make adjustments at the track.

Performance~4 h
Closed Sunday 4 October · The file you used to plot the data + a pdf containing your written analysis. May need to zip the files to upload or can email to me directly.

Suspension and Steering

Apply here to become a member of the Suspension and Steering team! We work on the design of the suspension and steering geometry. This year we will be focusing on delivering predictable vehicle dynamics and reliable structural life.

Suspension and Steering~4 h
Closed Sunday 4 October · A 2 to 4 page PDF with justification and images of design

How it works

Pick a sub-team and open its task. Each one is sized at roughly three to five hours.
Do the task however you like: hand calculations, a spreadsheet, CAD, code. The brief says what to submit.
Sign in with your Imperial email (we send you a six-digit code, no password) and upload your file with a short form.
The sub-team lead reads every submission. Everyone hears back by email on Tuesday 6 October; add a personal address on the form in case Imperial mail is slow.