Javier Gladstone Contioso - Mechanical Engineering Placement Student at Mercedes-AMG HPP
Key Facts
Javier at work at Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains
Current role: Mechanical Engineering Placement Student
Company: Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains
Country: STEM Racing UK
Years competing: 2019 - 2023
School: Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School
engineering education, made exciting
“Watching a team from my own school become the STEM Racing World Champions captured my attention like nothing else had during secondary school. Having always been interested in understanding how things worked, the idea that you could build something, engineer it and compete on a world stage was incredibly exciting. There was a wonderful teacher at school, Mr Harvey, who agreed to keep the project going, and soon enough the rest all made sense; school teaches you how things work, STEM Racing asks you to make things work and prove it on the day. I didn't need much convincing after seeing that.”
learning Skills for Life
“Alongside the engineering process of taking ideas on paper to a finished car that meets all regulations, the biggest thing the competition taught me was soft skills. Finding sponsorship, presenting to stakeholders and working with suppliers introduced me to things most people don't experience until working in industry. Presentation in particular set people apart at university; you could always tell who had done something like STEM Racing. Beyond the soft skills, the competition exposes you to things that matter enormously in an engineering career such as CAE software packages for design and simulation, communicating products through technical drawings and considering manufacturing capabilities. These are now skills I use daily working on a Formula 1 power unit. The more you put in, the more you get out!”
Javier competing at the 2023 World Finals in Singapore
Eclipse’s 2023 World Finals car
A full-circle Journey
“My journey started in late 2019 with a one month sprint to the North London Regional Finals after forming our team, Eclipse, where we finished in 1st place and came away motivated knowing what this competition could offer. Even through the pandemic we kept going, writing blogs of our experiences, connecting with teams around the world and working in the local community to promote STEM. This was all incredibly rewarding. Our first in-person competition was the 2022 World Finals at Silverstone where, despite finishing 13th, we set the fastest track time in the world at the event, giving us a real taste for what we could still achieve. Given the opportunity to take part for one last season, we made the most of it and in early 2023 we became UK National Champions and went on to place 6th at the World Finals in Singapore, finishing with the 3rd best engineered car and praise from teams across the globe. Since then, I've returned to the Regional and National Finals every season as a judge, going back to where it all started and hopefully giving something back.”
Javier and his team Eclipse winning the UK National Finals 2023
Javier judging at the UK National Finals 2026
a One-of-a-kind opportunity
“The skills I developed during the competition helped me put myself out there and gain work experience at Williams Racing and Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains. On my second visit to Mercedes-AMG HPP, I shadowed the Mechanical Simulation team, and two years later during my Mechanical Engineering degree at Loughborough University, I returned as a year-long placement student working on the internal combustion engine (ICE) of the power unit alongside engineers across the business. The competition is a massive door opener if you use it correctly; my advice would be to try lots of different things to build the skills and experiences that will help you find something you really enjoy. The skills I developed carried further than just work experience too, at university I am now working on the powertrain for our Formula Student car, all with the same processes taught in STEM Racing.”
“The skills I developed during the competition helped me put myself out there and gain work experience at Williams Racing and Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains.The competition is a massive door opener if you use it correctly; my advice would be to try lots of different things to build the skills and experiences that will help you find something you really enjoy.”