Flintshire all-female F1 team speeds into UK finals

An all-female Flintshire Formula 1 team is racing ahead to the UK finals after a pole performance last week.

Tan Gwyllt – Welsh for firework – represented Ysgol Maes Garmon at the F1 in Schools North Wales final at Denbigh Leisure Centre on Wednesday.

Competing in development class, the team won fastest car with a time of 1.451 seconds, best research and development across all classes for the second year running, and second overall.

The year 10 team comprises Ffion Thomas, technical engineer, Ceri Davies, designer, Lydia Slatter, enterprise manager, Daisy Evans, manufacturing engineer, and project manager Mari Edwards.

They will now compete in the Lenovo F1 in Schools UK National Final on March 26 and 27 at the Magma Science Adventure Centre in Rotherham.

Tan Gwyllt have been working on their car for a year, following last year’s entry class regional finals where they swept the board at the entry class regional finals.

Ffion Thomas said: “We took inspiration from both real-world motorsport and nature when designing our car, studying the aerodynamics of the current F4 models, Formula E’s classic nose cone, and even natural elements like shark skin to minimize drag.  

“We also looked at high-speed transportation like bullet trains and track cycling helmets to refine our shape. Our car’s sleek structure and optimized angles ensure maximum airflow efficiency while maintaining structural integrity.”

The F1 in Schools experience involves looking at all aspects of F1 as a business, including research and development, engineering, manufacturing, analysis, stakeholder engagement, sponsor liaison and marketing.

Mari Edwards added: “The whole F1 experience has been a huge and really rewarding learning curve. We’ve all developed and enhanced skills that will be valuable to us in the future.

“Importantly we’ve also had a lot of fun and are excited about upping our game even further and taking on the other teams at nationals.”

Tan Gwyllt have so far received support from Mold-based renewable energy developer Wind 2 and Architecture Unknown, Manchester.

Now with a second car to build, and travel to Yorkshire with overnight stays, the team are looking for further sponsorship. There are three packages available, and interested sponsors should email [email protected]