These are qualities that also motivate the young inventors competing in the Formula Student design competition each year. Schaeffler has been supporting student teams with its expertise and products since 2006, and since 2014, the Motorsport Academy has been taking place every year at the company’s headquarters in Herzogenaurach. In this way, the technology group maintains close contact with the engineers of tomorrow.
Building networks, thinking outside the box, learning some tips: Schaeffler engineers and “motorsport greats” have impressed students during the Motorsport Academy again this year. During this three-day event, the teams sponsored by Schaeffler focused on electric mobility, automated driving, engineering, data analytics and project management in workshops, exciting discussions, and a panel discussion in which high-ranking representatives participated. In contrast to previous years, European teams were invited this year as well. These included students from Spain, Italy, Finland, Romania, Belgium, Hungary, UK, Switzerland, and Austria. All in all, almost 150 students from 35 teams took part in the Motorsport Academy.
Corinna Schittenhelm, Chief Human Resources Officer at Schaeffler, highlighted during the panel discussion how important the students’ commitment to Formula Student is for Schaeffler: “With your enthusiasm for new drive technologies, practical experience and excellent teamwork, you are perfect fit for Schaeffler. We would be delighted to welcome you to our team as employees and the potential managers of tomorrow.”
Mike Rockenfeller, brand ambassador for Schaeffler and 2013 DTM champion, and Neel Jani, works driver for Porsche, also answered questions from the motorsport-enthusiastic audience as exclusive interview partners. In addition, Formula E driver Daniel Abt took the opportunity to address the students in a personal video message.
During the event, Dr. Simon Opel, Director Special Projects Motorsports at Schaeffler, emphasized: “Our Motorsports department consists for a large part of employees who have gained experience during Formula Student. This experience is for example extremely valuable for the development of the electric drive trains. I strongly encourage all students to participate in the exciting Formula Student project.”
