George Poulter: Mechanical Structural Analysis Engineer at Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team
Key Facts
George Poulter attending a STEM Racing event
Current role: Mechanical Structural Analysis Engineer Company: Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team
Country: UK
Years competing: 2013
School: Bradfield School
An Education in Engineering
“My introduction to STEM Racing coincided with my pursuit of an Engineering GCSE. I was drawn to the competition due to my pre-existing passion for Motorsport, and the project looked very appealing - covering the full product life cycle, from design through to manufacture, testing and racing. As a team, we soon built up an appetite to put in the extra effort. We regularly stayed after school with the help of our teachers to get the cars built in time for the competition.”
Concepts become Products
“We were fortunate to have a well-established Technology department at our school, providing us with valuable opportunities to explore a diverse range of CNC and manual machinery, including milling machines and lathes. We also had access to equipment such as laser cutters and some of the first desktop 3D printers which added an exciting dimension to our hands-on experience. I thoroughly enjoyed the dynamic environment that fostered creativity and innovation, turning classroom concepts into tangible products.
Alongside the actual production of the car, we also had to learn how to fund the project through reaching out to local companies for sponsorship, setting a budget and sticking to it.
Representing Bradfield School in Sheffield, our team, aptly named Steel City Racing, achieved notable success through the 2013 season, becoming the Yorkshire & Humberside Regional Champions, as well as winning awards for Fastest Car and Best Engineered Car. From there, we secured a place at the UK National Finals, where we won Best Pit Display.”
2013 team photo
Steel City Racing’s car
The Journey to F1
“One of the most important aspects the competition taught me was that by working together as a team, you are capable of doing things that would have been extraordinarily difficult to do if you were working alone. The competition is the perfect proving ground to showcase the need for collective effort, and not a single person’s technical ability to succeed. This has never been so true in Formula One, with the vehicles being a complex development of over 1000 employees’ ideas. Each one being just a few milliseconds can combine to an insurmountable sum. This can’t be done without teamwork, clear communication, determination and desire to push to the limit.”
George at work at Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team
“The competition is a unique platform for developing young people. As a 15-year-old, STEM Racing was probably my first opportunity to work in a team on a relatively complex project. This exposed me to the importance of teamwork, communication and planning – something which is fundamental in the high-performance environment I currently navigate.”