The drive for equality: USW's female Formula Student team members race to break down barriers

Six women students at the University of South Wales (USW) are leading the field in efforts to bring gender equality to motorsport.

They form part of the University’s Formula Student team which has been set up with the aim of competing in the culmination of the project when it is held at Silverstone, the home the British Grand Prix, from 16-20 July.

Formula Student, which is run by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2023, is Europe's most established educational engineering competition, which challenges teams to design, build, and race a single-seater race car and present it to a hypothetical manufacturing firm. 

Backed by industry and high-profile engineers, the competition aims to develop enterprising and innovative young engineers and encourage more young people to take up a career in engineering, with more than 100 university teams taking part every year. The project usually forms part of a degree-level project and is viewed by the motorsport industry as the standard for engineering graduates to meet, transitioning them from university to the workplace.

Among the 32-strong team are six women who are looking to make their mark in the competition – they are Andrea Delgado, a third-year BA Business Management (Supply Chain Management) student; Ellie Jones- Parfitt and Ella Flower, who are both in the third year of their BEng Aeronautical Engineering degrees; Rosie Roberts, who’s studying for BEng Electrical and Electronic Engineering degree; Seren Nelson, a third-year Sports Journalism degree student; and BSc (Hons) Aircraft Maintenance Engineering student Kiera Lyons.

Ellie, who wants to be a Race Engineer and cites Leena Gade, the first female race engineer to win the 24-hour race at Le Mans, as her inspiration, explained why she got involved in the Formula Student team at USW.

“I have always had a passion for motorsport and having the opportunity to join Formula Student meant that I have had the ability to gain hands-on experience while doing something I love,” she said.

“To me, women in STEM means being given the opportunity to excel in male-dominated industries. It means having the opportunities to explore scientific fields and feeding curiosity.

“Seeing Women in STEM excel inspired me as a teenager to pursue a career in engineering, and, knowing that I can inspire future generations, means that succeeding in this field means so much more.”

Ella, who is aiming to become a space systems engineer, added that she joined Formula Student out of a deep passion for engineering and motorsports, and wanting hands-on experience in real-world projects.

“The collaborative team environment offered an excellent opportunity to develop essential technical and soft skills while embracing challenges in a competitive setting,“ said Ella, whose inspiration is Katherine Johnson - the NASA mathematician who was the focus of feature film Hidden Figures - for her contribution to space exploration.

“To me, women in STEM represents strength, inspiration, and progress. It means breaking barriers and proving that women can excel in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, fields that have often been male dominated.

“Seeing women succeed in these areas motivates me to pursue my own interests in STEM. It shows young girls everywhere that they can follow their passions, pursue challenging careers, and make a difference in the world.”

Andrea, a budding logistics manager, added that Marie Curie is her role model ‘due to how she overcame sexism and was the first woman to win a Nobel peace prize’, while Kiera, who wants to become an aircraft or motorsport engineer, highlighted Bernie Collins, a Formula One strategy analyst for Sky Sports and F1TV, and Ruth Buscombe, a British motorsport engineer and presenter for F1 TV, as her inspiration.      

Rosie, who wants to become a patent attorney after graduation, says Florence Nightingale, Marie Curie, and NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson, are her role models; while Seren, who is aiming to have an impact on the TV world as a presenter or broadcaster, says Gabby Logan or freelance TV presenter Gabriella Jukes are her inspiration.

Joshua Bullock, who is Team Principal for USW Formula Student and fourth-year Aeronautical Engineering student, said the diversity of the team is a strength that will hopefully lead them to success.

“It is fantastic for us to benefit from such a range of expertise and to be able to not just help break down barriers for the female members of the current team, but those who will hopefully follow in their footsteps,” he said.

“Motorsport has traditionally been seen as a male-only pursuit, but, as the female members of our team show, that view is outdated, and one that ignores the vital role that a diverse group can play in driving toward success.  

“We have already been recognised externally, agreeing a partnership with a fabrication company, and are working towards finalising the design of the car’s chassis, and in March are holding our first STEM outreach event.

“None of this would be possible without the input from all team members, whose different experience and knowledge is vital in our efforts to make USW’s Formula Student team a success.”