Aerodynamics Engineer career advice

[Alberto22]

Hello, I'd appreciate very much if some of you give me some career advice. I'm interested in becoming an aerodynamic engineer. My dream is to design road cars or to get a job as an F1 Aerodynamycist, but I know it's quite hard to get a job in F1.

I'm not quite sure which Masters Degree would be best to become an Aerodynamics Engineer. Would you recommend studying a Masters in Aeronautical or Aerospace Engineering or in Automotive Engineering?
I've seen various degrees in the UK, such as Race Car Aerodynamics at University of Southampton, Aerospace Dynamics at Cranfield University, and Motorsport Engineering at Oxford Brookes University, I've read that these universities have close relationships with F1 teams.
I've also seen degrees in Italy such as Advanced Automotive Engineering at UNIMORE and Racing Car Design and High Performance Car Design at MUNER, which I've read have close relationships with companies such as Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati. Also the Politecnico di Milano offers Aeronautical Engineering and the Politecnico di Torino offers both Automotive and Aerospace Engineering, which are very prestigious universities.

I'd appreciate if any of guys are currently studying any of these degrees or if you already have and are looking for a job as an Aerodynamics Engineer, if you could give me any tips.

Thank you

[JordanMugen]

Aeronautical or Aerospace Engineering or in Automotive Engineering?

It doesn't matter, they are all mechanical engineering courses and quite similar.

The crucial points are:
1) Get involved with the Formula Student (or Solar Car Challenge) team ASAP.
2) Select fluid mechanics related electives wherever possible
3) Complete your honours project on Formula Student (or Solar Car Challenge) aerodynamic package
4) Possibly complete a Masters or PhD related not just to fluid mechanics but specifically to racing car aerodynamics

I wish I had followed those steps. But I would have been rather out of my depth tinkering with cars as a Formula Student volunteer at university age. [At that time I couldn't tell the difference between the pull cord and the air filter, when it came to single cylinder (lawn mower) engine disassembly lab in early year mechanical design course. ] It is only more recently I have become interested in tinkering with cars.

[Alberto22]

Aeronautical or Aerospace Engineering or in Automotive Engineering?

It doesn't matter, they are all mechanical engineering courses and quite similar.

The crucial points are:
1) Get involved with the Formula Student (or Solar Car Challenge) team ASAP.
2) Select fluid mechanics related electives wherever possible
3) Complete your honours project on Formula Student (or Solar Car Challenge) aerodynamic package
4) Possibly complete a Masters or PhD related not just to fluid mechanics but specifically to racing car aerodynamics

I wish I had followed those steps. But I would have been rather out of my depth tinkering with cars as a Formula Student volunteer at university age. [At that time I couldn't tell the difference between the pull cord and the air filter, when it came to single cylinder (lawn mower) engine disassembly lab in early year mechanical design course. ] It is only more recently I have become interested in tinkering with cars.

Thank you, I'll keep that in mind.

[Dipesh1995]

Aeronautical or Aerospace Engineering or in Automotive Engineering?

It doesn't matter, they are all mechanical engineering courses and quite similar.

The crucial points are:
1) Get involved with the Formula Student (or Solar Car Challenge) team ASAP.
2) Select fluid mechanics related electives wherever possible
3) Complete your honours project on Formula Student (or Solar Car Challenge) aerodynamic package
4) Possibly complete a Masters or PhD related not just to fluid mechanics but specifically to racing car aerodynamics

This.

And also look for internships/work experience with F1 teams and/or external consultancies that deal with (motorsport) aerodynamics such for example, Totalsim. Education is one thing but having experience is the game changer. In many cases especially for teams in the UK, they are on the look out for graduates with experience. Without experience, it becomes increasingly difficult (but not impossible) to jump into F1 immediately after graduating; you may have to work elsewhere for a few years to gain experience before you jump into F1 in this case. A PhD doesn’t hurt and is something that teams really do like, in fact, a lot of aerodynamicists do obtain a PhD immediately before getting the first job in F1 (a quick LinkedIn search will show you that) and it can be a fun “alternative” to industrial experience as along as you are prepared to commit 3-4 years of your life on a specific relevant topic that you are very interested/passionate about (I am one of them ).

[Alberto22]

Aeronautical or Aerospace Engineering or in Automotive Engineering?

It doesn't matter, they are all mechanical engineering courses and quite similar.

The crucial points are:
1) Get involved with the Formula Student (or Solar Car Challenge) team ASAP.
2) Select fluid mechanics related electives wherever possible
3) Complete your honours project on Formula Student (or Solar Car Challenge) aerodynamic package
4) Possibly complete a Masters or PhD related not just to fluid mechanics but specifically to racing car aerodynamics

This.

And also look for internships/work experience with F1 teams and/or external consultancies that deal with (motorsport) aerodynamics such for example, Totalsim. Education is one thing but having experience is the game changer. In many cases especially for teams in the UK, they are on the look out for graduates with experience. Without experience, it becomes increasingly difficult (but not impossible) to jump into F1 immediately after graduating; you may have to work elsewhere for a few years to gain experience before you jump into F1 in this case. A PhD doesn’t hurt and is something that teams really do like, in fact, a lot of aerodynamicists do obtain a PhD immediately before getting the first job in F1 (a quick LinkedIn search will show you that) and it can be a fun “alternative” to industrial experience as along as you are prepared to commit 3-4 years of your life on a specific relevant topic that you are very interested/passionate about (I am one of them ).

Thank you. Yes, that's my plan to gain as much experience as I can, mostly because I recently graduated. And I've read that exprience especially in Formula Student helps a lot to get a job in F1.

If i may ask, did you study Aeronautical Engineering? I'm asking because for me I really enjoy both road cars and F1 cars, but I've been thinking which path I want to go, and I really like Aerodynamics, whether it is to design road cars or F1 cars. For example, I watched an interview with Adrian Newey, which I'm a big fan of, and he said that he studied Aeronautics because racing cars are close to aircrafts than anything else, that's why that Master's Degree at Southampton University would be perfect because it's specifically about Race Car Aerodynamics. But there are other degrees like the ones I've mentioned that also teach Aerodynamics.
For what I've seen and read about F1 aerodynamicists, most of them studied Aeronautics or Aerospace Engineering, so I assume that for F1 cars it's better to get a Degree in Aeronautics.

I guess my main questions really are:
1. If I want to be an F1 Aerodynamicist is it better to get a Degree in Aeronautics?
2. If I want to be a road car/sports car Aerodynamics Engineer is it better to study Aeronautics or Automotive Engineering?

Thanks for your help.

[JordanMugen]

1. If I want to be an F1 Aerodynamicist is it better to get a Degree in Aeronautics?
2. If I want to be a road car/sports car Aerodynamics Engineer is it better to study Aeronautics or Automotive Engineering?

A degree in Aeronautics or Aerospace will have compulsory subjects on aircraft design (conceptual design of aircraft: takeoff weight, range etc), space vehicle design (rocketry: payload, thrust etc), aircraft control systems, astrophysics and jet engines and so on. Apart from that it will be much the same as the standard Mechanical Engineering degree.

Meanwhile a degree in Automotive engineering will have compulsory subjects on vehicle dynamics [roll centres and camber curves etc] and other automotive related topics. Again, apart from that it will be much the same as the standard Mechanical Engineering degree.

For your reference, a standard mechanical engineering degree covers: maths, physics, electrical engineering (basics only), programming (basics only), drafting, mechanical design, thermodynamics, aerodynamics (fluid mechanics), acoustics, materials, stress analysis, static analysis, dynamic analysis, control systems analysis, teamwork and management, etc.

[Alberto22]

Thank you very much for the insight. Yes I’m familiar with a mechanical engineering degree since that is my bachelor’s degree, well specifically my degree is in Electromechanical Engineering.

My question was referring mostly about a Master’s Degree, given the fact that I’ve seen that most F1 aerodynamicists have a degree in Aeronautics. Taking that into account, if I want to become an Aerodynamics Engineer, wether it is for road cars or F1 cars, should I do a Master’s in Aeronautics?

For what I’ve read and what you’ve told me, I guess the Degree isn’t that important, as long as you have some kind of experience in the field, like being a part of a Formula Student team or internships.

Thank you!

[Dipesh1995]

Thank you. Yes, that's my plan to gain as much experience as I can, mostly because I recently graduated. And I've read that exprience especially in Formula Student helps a lot to get a job in F1.

If i may ask, did you study Aeronautical Engineering? I'm asking because for me I really enjoy both road cars and F1 cars, but I've been thinking which path I want to go, and I really like Aerodynamics, whether it is to design road cars or F1 cars. For example, I watched an interview with Adrian Newey, which I'm a big fan of, and he said that he studied Aeronautics because racing cars are close to aircrafts than anything else, that's why that Master's Degree at Southampton University would be perfect because it's specifically about Race Car Aerodynamics. But there are other degrees like the ones I've mentioned that also teach Aerodynamics.
For what I've seen and read about F1 aerodynamicists, most of them studied Aeronautics or Aerospace Engineering, so I assume that for F1 cars it's better to get a Degree in Aeronautics.

I guess my main questions really are:
1. If I want to be an F1 Aerodynamicist is it better to get a Degree in Aeronautics?
2. If I want to be a road car/sports car Aerodynamics Engineer is it better to study Aeronautics or Automotive Engineering?

Thanks for your help.

These are tricky questions to some extent. If you want to be a road vehicle aerodynamicist, I would recommend doing an Automotive engineering degree simply because the aerodynamics content will be more towards bluff bodies which is essentially what road cars are. For a F1 aerodynamicist, I would go for Aeronautical/Aerospace engineering as you'll learn a bit more about aerofoils, wings etc. Ultimately, there isn't much difference between them in terms of aerodynamics content from my experience as they're both derivatives of Mechanical engineering. I did Automotive engineering at Loughborough University which already contained a reasonable amount of aerodynamics content but I was in a quite unique position in that the department taught both Aeronautical engineering and Automotive engineering such that I had access to notes/lectures/lecturers from relevant modules from the Aeronautical course meaning that I could somewhat "tailor" my degree. I think the Race-car Aerodynamics course at Southampton is a pretty good degree for F1 but it certainly isn't the golden ticket to F1 as it doesn't hold more weight than doing a really good degree in Aeronautical/Automotive engineering from elsewhere imo.

I also think that you may find doing some external reading of books/journal papers in addition to what you are taught at University regardless of what degree you choose to do is a really good source of knowledge. A couple of goods books that I recommend is Race-Car Aerodynamics by J. Katz and Formula One technology by P G. Wright.

[jjn9128]

Thank you very much for the insight. Yes I’m familiar with a mechanical engineering degree since that is my bachelor’s degree, well specifically my degree is in Electromechanical Engineering.

My question was referring mostly about a Master’s Degree, given the fact that I’ve seen that most F1 aerodynamicists have a degree in Aeronautics. Taking that into account, if I want to become an Aerodynamics Engineer, wether it is for road cars or F1 cars, should I do a Master’s in Aeronautics?

For what I’ve read and what you’ve told me, I guess the Degree isn’t that important, as long as you have some kind of experience in the field, like being a part of a Formula Student team or internships.

Thank you!

Where are you based? In the UK the masters programs at Cranfield and Southampton are fairly popular and seem to produce a high number of F1 engineers with each batch of new graduates. They seem to be geared toward teaching for motorsports applications. I'm not too certain what's available outside the UK with that sort of slant on the course load.

That said, I think these days experience is the golden ticket... either that or knowing someone high up. Everyone and their mother seems to have a high level degree and Formula student (every uni seems to have at least 1 team) on their resume these days, so to stand out from the crowd you need experience in a team or in professional motorsport. A few of the teams offer internship programs for you to get a few months on the job, McLaren and Renault certainly do from memory. Not sure when those are advertised, you'd have to have a search.

Applying for jobs in F1 is a long, arduous, and incredibly frustrating process. They don't need you anywhere as much as you need/want to be hired. You'll be one of 1000s of applicants for every position, so they have no need/desire to respond or keep you informed of their process, which often can take months. You have to have stamina to keep plugging away.

[Alberto22]

Thank you. Yes, that's my plan to gain as much experience as I can, mostly because I recently graduated. And I've read that exprience especially in Formula Student helps a lot to get a job in F1.

If i may ask, did you study Aeronautical Engineering? I'm asking because for me I really enjoy both road cars and F1 cars, but I've been thinking which path I want to go, and I really like Aerodynamics, whether it is to design road cars or F1 cars. For example, I watched an interview with Adrian Newey, which I'm a big fan of, and he said that he studied Aeronautics because racing cars are close to aircrafts than anything else, that's why that Master's Degree at Southampton University would be perfect because it's specifically about Race Car Aerodynamics. But there are other degrees like the ones I've mentioned that also teach Aerodynamics.
For what I've seen and read about F1 aerodynamicists, most of them studied Aeronautics or Aerospace Engineering, so I assume that for F1 cars it's better to get a Degree in Aeronautics.

I guess my main questions really are:
1. If I want to be an F1 Aerodynamicist is it better to get a Degree in Aeronautics?
2. If I want to be a road car/sports car Aerodynamics Engineer is it better to study Aeronautics or Automotive Engineering?

Thanks for your help.

These are tricky questions to some extent. If you want to be a road vehicle aerodynamicist, I would recommend doing an Automotive engineering degree simply because the aerodynamics content will be more towards bluff bodies which is essentially what road cars are. For a F1 aerodynamicist, I would go for Aeronautical/Aerospace engineering as you'll learn a bit more about aerofoils, wings etc. Ultimately, there isn't much difference between them in terms of aerodynamics content from my experience as they're both derivatives of Mechanical engineering. I did Automotive engineering at Loughborough University which already contained a reasonable amount of aerodynamics content but I was in a quite unique position in that the department taught both Aeronautical engineering and Automotive engineering such that I had access to notes/lectures/lecturers from relevant modules from the Aeronautical course meaning that I could somewhat "tailor" my degree. I think the Race-car Aerodynamics course at Southampton is a pretty good degree for F1 but it certainly isn't the golden ticket to F1 as it doesn't hold more weight than doing a really good degree in Aeronautical/Automotive engineering from elsewhere imo.

I also think that you may find doing some external reading of books/journal papers in addition to what you are taught at University regardless of what degree you choose to do is a really good source of knowledge. A couple of goods books that I recommend is Race-Car Aerodynamics by J. Katz and Formula One technology by P G. Wright.

Thank you very much. This really helps a lot. I’ll take a look at those books.

[Alberto22]

Thank you very much for the insight. Yes I’m familiar with a mechanical engineering degree since that is my bachelor’s degree, well specifically my degree is in Electromechanical Engineering.

My question was referring mostly about a Master’s Degree, given the fact that I’ve seen that most F1 aerodynamicists have a degree in Aeronautics. Taking that into account, if I want to become an Aerodynamics Engineer, wether it is for road cars or F1 cars, should I do a Master’s in Aeronautics?

For what I’ve read and what you’ve told me, I guess the Degree isn’t that important, as long as you have some kind of experience in the field, like being a part of a Formula Student team or internships.

Thank you!

Where are you based? In the UK the masters programs at Cranfield and Southampton are fairly popular and seem to produce a high number of F1 engineers with each batch of new graduates. They seem to be geared toward teaching for motorsports applications. I'm not too certain what's available outside the UK with that sort of slant on the course load.

That said, I think these days experience is the golden ticket... either that or knowing someone high up. Everyone and their mother seems to have a high level degree and Formula student (every uni seems to have at least 1 team) on their resume these days, so to stand out from the crowd you need experience in a team or in professional motorsport. A few of the teams offer internship programs for you to get a few months on the job, McLaren and Renault certainly do from memory. Not sure when those are advertised, you'd have to have a search.

Applying for jobs in F1 is a long, arduous, and incredibly frustrating process. They don't need you anywhere as much as you need/want to be hired. You'll be one of 1000s of applicants for every position, so they have no need/desire to respond or keep you informed of their process, which often can take months. You have to have stamina to keep plugging away.

Thank you very much for your help. I'm from Costa Rica, unfortunately here we don't have Formula Student like in the UK. Since I recently graduated, I'll take some time to think about what I want to do, If I decide for a degree In Aeronautics or in Automotive Engineering, that's basically why I studied Electromechanical Engineering here, because I knew that I wanted to do something related to cars, I think if I decide for Aeronautics , I'll try get into the Race Car Aerodynamics Degree at Southampton, or If I decide to study somewhere else I'll make sure I get an internship or to be a part of a Formula Student Team.

Thank you all very much for your help, I really appreciated it.

[Shanhara]

I don't really know of any program similar to Formula Car in the US, so what could be an alternative?

[Maritimer]

Formula SAE

[Nonserviam85]

I know it does not sound ideal but nowadays, there is an extremely large amount of graduates with MSc in relative topics (Aerodynamic/Automotive/Multibody dynamics) so unless you get an internship/placement in an F1 team, the only other way is through a PhD in a F1 related topic but still it is a difficult process. The good news are that the new PUs opened the way to a whole new branch of Engineering especially Closed Loop Control Modelling and Power Electronics Engineering! The bad news are, the proposed salary cap will reduce the number of employees in the aerodynamics/ performance/body dynamics department so it will become even more difficult.

[Delphinux]

Hello, I'm currently doing BTech in Aerospace engineering ( sem 4 ) in India and I'm really interested in F1. I wanna work as an Aerodynamics engineer in the technical team of Scuderia Ferrari. I was looking for good universities that offer masters specifically in aerodynamics and came across your old 2019 post.

I'm hoping you could guide me since you went through the same, it would be very helpful. I hope you can give me some ideas coz I'm really confused and don't know what's the better option.

Thank you in advance:)