Formula Student develops real-world ready future engineers

©FSG Daniel Sturm

Hockenheim, Germany – Professional Formula One race car drivers competed recently in the Germany Grand Prix Formula One World Championship at the world renowned Hockenheimring. If they had stayed at the track just a little longer, they would have seen future colleagues and competition.

 ©FSG Stephanie Bergan

More than 1,200 students from 111 schools in 24 nations competed at Formula Student Germany (FSG). Check them out in the photo above.

FSG’s goal is to offer future engineers design, manufacturing, business management and international experience. They note “this cannot be done without great teamwork.” Here’s how this competition works. Students form teams for this one year competition. They get online on competition registration day and have to answer a series of questions. The fastest 115 teams get the chance to compete.

©FSG Pierre Buck

They design, analyze and manufacture their vehicles throughout the school year. Then they go to a competition. Some teams compete in their country and some compete in multiple events travelling all over the world.

Check out this video to learn more Formula Student Germany (in English) & in German

FSG event has strong international participation. It also has several categories including combustion, electric and beginning next year driverless.

At the competition, teams must first pass scrutineering, which include technical inspections for safety, tilt table test for corner stability, noise test (max of 110 db) and a brake test. Electric vehicles also have to pass an electrical safety and rain test.

Teams compete for the most points across these disciplines:

• Engineering design


• Cost and manufacturing


• Business presentation


• Skid pad


• Acceleration


• Autocross


• Endurance


• Fuel efficiency

©FSG Markus Soukup

Check out this video to see what the skid pad test is all about.

It’s quite amazing to watch these students compete on and off the race track. This experience makes them all champions and certainly real-world ready.

The students at FSG echoed these comments in this video:

Students talk about their Formula Student Experience

It’s about

• “passion” “teamwork”


• “design and engineering”


• “hands-on experience I can’t find anywhere else”


• “chance to take everything learned at university and see in practice”


• In summary: “a lot of hard work and fantastic fun.”

Siemens is honored to work with many of these teams. We are committed to competitions like FSG to empower the next generation of talent. We equip the teams with industry-grade software and the support they need to gain digital skills in design, composites, simulation, systems engineering, mechatronics and lifecycle management.

This includes Solid Edge, NX, Fibersim, Simcenter, Star CCM+, Tecnomatix and Teamcenter.

Check out the Siemens Flickr account for more photos of the teams using our software!

Our team had fun at the event as well. My colleagues held Formula Academy workshops on a Day in the Life of a FSG team to highlight how Siemens software could help the teams address challenges on and off the track.

Students came to our booth for demonstrations of new technologies and took their turn at a simulated race. There was heightened interest in our simulation and test capabilites.

I encourage you to get involved in a real-world competition like FSG. That goes for students as well as our customers. All of these teams need mentors and sponsors to be successful.

Reach out to us if we can help you.

©FSG Tilmann HäbnerI’ll leave you with this closing thought. Note the words on the far tail fin. These future engineers are definitely “driven by passion.”