Mary Aldersley: Coordinator, Transmission and Component Assembly at McLaren Formula 1
KEY FACTS
Mary at work at McLaren Formula 1 Team
Current role: Coordinator, Transmission and Component Assembly
Company: McLaren Formula 1 Team
Country: UK
Years competing: 2013 – 2014
School: Lytham St Annes High School
GETTING STARTED
“I got involved with STEM Racing in 2013 through my Engineering class at school. We all had the chance to make a car but then when my team realised we really enjoyed it, and that we could develop the car further outside of class times and maybe even take it to a competition, we jumped at the chance. I have always loved challenging myself and have been interested in engineering since I was young, so STEM Racing was the perfect project.
REGIONALS TO NATIONALS
“My team, Mary’s Angels, competed in the Northwest Regional Finals in 2013, and ended up winning, which really ignited the fire for us. After that, we competed in the National Finals, and did the same again in 2014. It was one of the best experiences I had in my entire time in high school, and throughout those two years I made my decision to pursue Motorsport Engineering at university.”
National Finals 2014
Mary’s Angels car render
NEXT STEPS
“I found out about Formula Student – a university challenge which sees students design and build a single-seat racing car - through STEM Racing, and I knew that I would have to be involved as much as I could. From starting university with only my STEM Racing knowledge I became the Powertrain Team Leader for Oxford Brookes Racing for two years running, and then took on the role of Chief Mechanic for my final year. The combination of the two programmes led to my job at McLaren Formula 1 Team, where I have worked for four years.”
Coordinating an event
LESSONS LEARNED
“STEM Racing taught me so many things but, for me, the most important ones were non engineering related tasks. It taught me about time management and how to stick to a plan so that we had everything ready in time to go to competition. It also taught me people management skills and how to lead a team under pressure, which was such a valuable opportunity. These skills have translated into my current job at McLaren, where I put them into practice every day.”
“My main piece of STEM Racing advice would just be to give it a go! It genuinely doesn’t matter if you win or lose, the competition taught me such a wide range of skills - from designing, making, and racing the car to creating a business presentation, and raising money through gaining outside-of-school sponsorship. I had such a great time, and it was truly an eye-opener as to what I wanted to do as a future career.
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