Our F1 in Schools team made up of Evan Favos (11/ME), Sebastian Hodge (11/ME), Justin Malkki (11/PR), Shen Goh (11/MA) and Henry Stathis (11/JN) competed in the F1 in Schools State Finals at the University of Western Sydney at the beginning of November. Going head-to-head against the best of the state over two consecutive days, team member Shen Goh said, “Over the course of those days, our team was tested to the limits, with our knowledge of the car, our marketing strategy and our verbal presentation skills all being assessed, not to mention the design and speed of the car itself.”

Entropy finished the competition on a high and the team have been selected to compete in the Australian National Finals early next year with a wild card entry. They were runners-up in the State Finals and were the team with the Fastest Reaction Time, Best Portfolio, Best Graphics and Most Outstanding Industry Collaboration.

As Entropy start preparing for their entry into the Australian National Finals all team members agreed that the most rewarding aspect of being part of the State Finals was seeing all their hard work come together. Graphic Designer, Justin Malkki said, “It was daunting, yet revealed how much work we put in. Seeing the full prints and graphics as compared to other booths and publications, gave me a sense of confidence and excitement.”

In the lead up to next year’s National Finals, Entropy plans on developing a new booth / trade display, working hard to maintain good relations with their collaborators and sponsors and plan on bumping up the time they spend each week to include Saturdays. They want to make sure they are in the best position to compete next March.

Team member Henry Stathis said, “F1 might sound like its all about the car but it really isn’t. There are many other aspects of this project to consider such as marketing, finance and collaboration. Without our multiple Industry Collaborators, there would have been no way for us to get to where we are now.”

For all the boys who are thinking about joining F1, the team’s newest member Shen says to go for it.

“You don’t have to be good at technology to join. F1 in Schools caters to people of all abilities, be it engineering, car design, graphics, marketing and more. It greatly helps improve your skills in physics and computer-aided design (CAD) programs, public speaking, marketing and more if you put effort into it. Out of all things in the school, this should be one of the things that you try out by the end of your schooling,” Shen said.

Justin agreed saying that you can never be too young to join F1.

“The perfect time to start are Years 7 and 8, where you develop the skills in Cadet Class to either go into Development or Professional Class in Years 9, 10 or 11.”

Watch this space for more news as Entropy get ready to take on the National Finals in 2017. If you want more information about the team, or you’re keen to follow their progress, jump onto their blog.