In collaboration with F1 in Schools, Komatsu and Williams Racing this week chose the first 10 students who will comprise the inaugural class of the Komatsu-Williams Engineering Academy.
The Academy is a global initiative designed to cultivate the next generation of engineering talent through unique learning opportunities the students will have access to with Komatsu and the Williams Racing Formula 1 team. Programming will kick off in January and be tailored to meet the needs of each student’s educational journey.
The students chosen were attendees of the 2024 Aramco F1 in Schools World Championships, which took place this week (November 22-26) in Saudia Arabia. More than 450 students on 55 teams participated in this year’s world championship, racing miniature air-powered F1-style cars. Participants then got the chance to travel to Doha for the F1 Qatar Grand Prix to take part in a pit lane walk at the famous Lusail International Circuit.
The announcement of this year’s class of Komatsu-Williams Engineering Academy students comes 10 years after the very first academy was launched at the F1 in Schools World Finals in Abu Dhabi in 2014. For Komatsu and Williams, it’s an exciting opportunity to help shape a new generation of talent for their respective industries.
“The talent on display this week in Saudia Arabia was incredible and we are so excited to start working with the selected students come January,” said Todd Connolly, VP of Global Brand Transformation at Komatsu. “Supporting up-and-coming STEM talent is not only rewarding, but essential as we look to nurture future innovation and advance the fields of motorsport and heavy-equipment design.”
For James Vowles, Team Principal at Williams Racing, working with young talent as they work toward graduation and a future career puts him right back where he was 30 years ago, when he entered Formula 1 shortly after graduation.
“These exceptional young engineers can help lead our industries into the future, and I consider it my privilege to get to help support them at this critical stage in their educational journey,” Vowles said.
Students selected for the program are as follows:
Raphael Brice (Abu Dhabi)
Aran Malhotra (USA)
Finley Sneddon (Australia)
Catrin Wood (Wales)
George Papadopoulus (Greece)
Julia Used-Alonso Wu (Spain)
Angad Miglani (India)
Prabhav Srivastava (Qatar)
Zac Smith (United Kingdom)
Noor Alsagheir (Saudi Arabia)
Stay tuned for more details in the months to come!
