Career opportunities
Cranfield University has strong links to the motorsport sector. The Industrial Advisory Panel includes highly influential professionals, representing motorsport organisations. Cranfield is located in Motorsport ValleyTM. The majority of F1 teams use the FIA approved Cranfield Impact Centre's testing facilities. Cranfield Motorsport Simulation is based on the campus site. The course benefits from presentations given by practitioners such as Alex Burns, Pat Symonds, Adrian Reynard, Daniele Casanova and Andy McFarlan. Group and individual thesis projects are often supported by companies in the sector. The University is a member of the Motorsport Industry Association (MIA) and is supported by the Motor Sports Association (MSA). Cranfield has a special relationship with Silverstone and students assist the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) at the British F1 Grand Prix and Moto GP.
While Cranfield University cannot guarantee you a motorsport job, many former students have gone onto successful careers in motorsport. Our alumni are an effective motorsport networking group. You can read about ex-students’ careers here:
- Lotus Renault GP (read about Ralph Koyess's career and view the video)
- Williams F1 (read about Kirsty Allan's career and view the video)
- McLaren Racing (read about Jenni Oakham's career)
- Michelin - Motorsport Division (read about Audrey Moyal's career)
Matthew Sorrell, who was a student on the first year of the MSc in 2000/2001 and is now Computational Fluid Dynamics Team Leader for Red Bull Technology Limited, reminisced about his career since leaving Cranfield. He said:
“My career in motorsport has been more challenging and more rewarding than any other branch of engineering I've encountered. The all-round motorsport knowledge and experiences I gained while at Cranfield have proven invaluable to date, allowing me to work closely with departments outside my own area of expertise and understand their objectives and requirements.
I believe that this is the strongest feature of the Cranfield Motorsport MSc as only by appreciating the sometimes conflicting requirements of race car design can you produce a car that excels in all areas without any weaknesses, which has to be the ultimate aim of any motorsport engineer."
