Mr Honeywill’s Year 10.2 Electronics demonstrating their expertise in design and construction. L-R: Justin Tran, Zipper Effect designer for F1 in Schools, Felix Shannon, Mr Paul Honeywill, Chris Papadopoulos holding Justin Tran’s car. Photo courtesy of Ashan Karunagaran Year 10.

On his recent visit to Newington, Chris Papadopoulos (ON ’96) took an enthralled audience of Newington students on a journey behind the roaring engines, glamour and adrenalin of Formula 1 World Championship motor racing. As a Trackside Electronics Engineer for the Lotus F1 , he could explain how every part of an F1 racing car is designed, developed and manufactured in-house with a factory of 500 specialists developing each facet of the finely-tuned machines.

Chris described potential areas of interest in the motor racing industry from CAD (computer-aided design) and wind tunnels to electronic circuitry, hydraulic and cooling systems for Newington’s future designers and engineers.

After graduationg from Newington, Chris studied Mechanical Engineering at the University of Technology, Sydney. He currently resides in the UK where, after five years with Renault F1, he he joined the Lotus F1 Team, overseeing all the computer logistics supporting F1 cars whilst racing.