Long before our cars are unveiled, thousands of components have been pored over and refined so they can handle everything the season throws at them. Mechanical design engineers work on the high-performing parts we need to fuel our journey back to the top.
Here, find out more about what a mechanical design engineer in Formula 1 does and how the role works from the inside.
What does an F1 mechanical design engineer do?
An F1 mechanical design engineer designs the parts that make up the car, from suspension links and gearbox internals to power unit installation hardware and bodywork structures.
At Atlassian Williams F1 Team, that can mean specialising in areas like:
- Rear suspension and driver controls
- Power unit integration and cooling assemblies
- Hydraulic and pneumatic systems in the transmission
- Chassis, bodywork and wings
Will Bevan, one of our Mechanical Design Engineers, works on the rear suspension and sees that impact first-hand:
“I work on the rear suspension and design components in different places, starting from the geometry all the way to the final components. There are a number of different ways that my role helps the car go faster, but mainly, given the holistic approach we take to designing components, we look for optimum kinematics of the suspension and to make everything light so the car can go as fast as possible on track.”
Read more: A day in the life of an F1 design engineer
Key responsibilities in F1 mechanical design engineer jobs
Every component on the car is designed to be lighter, stronger and easier to run. In F1 mechanical design engineer jobs, these are the solutions you’ll be finding each and every day. The typical responsibilities include:
- Taking concepts from sketch to detailed CAD models, including mechanical, hydraulic and composite assemblies
- Carrying out stress, stiffness, and sizing calculations to justify designs
- Running and contributing to design reviews with other engineers and stakeholders
- Owning projects end-to-end, from initial concept through manufacture, build, testing and race operation
- Supporting fault investigations, root-cause analysis, and continuous improvement when issues arise
- Working closely with aerodynamics, vehicle performance, transmission, production, and trackside teams to balance performance and reliability
- Mentoring junior and placement engineers, sharing best practice and design standards
Skills and qualifications for mechanical design engineer jobs in Formula 1
Most Formula 1 mechanical design engineer jobs start with a strong academic foundation and relevant experience in high-performance engineering. Across our mechanical design roles, we typically look for:
- A degree in mechanical, automotive, aerospace or related engineering
- An in-depth understanding of fundamental engineering principles, structures, materials, mechanics and fluid systems.
- Experience designing mechanical and composite components, including tolerances and design for manufacture.
- Confidence performing hand calculations and basic stress analysis to support designs.
- The ability to manage a varied workload, prioritise to tight deadlines and stay calm under pressure.
Beyond the CV, engineers who thrive here are the ones who naturally seek information and stay flexible when things change late in the day. There are also other qualities that are important to help you find your place in the team. As Will puts it:
“Passion for what you’re doing in the company is an important attribute to be successful. It will always inspire you to come into work everyday and push for performance on the car if you enjoy what you do.”
Routes into Formula 1 mechanical design engineer jobs
People take different lanes into Formula 1, but engineers tend to have had chances to apply their technical knowledge to real projects. Whether through placements or transferable experience in other high-performance industries, there are plenty of options to accelerate towards Formula 1.
Will’s own journey into Williams shows how that experience can pay off:
“My pathway into the job started from my time in university. I did a placement year in engineering outside of Formula 1, and I then managed to get into Formula Student at university, which is where we built a small sports car. This gave me a lot of great experience to be able to apply for a role at Williams, which I got upon graduating.”
At Williams, we also offer early careers programmes, including placements and graduate roles that help you develop from emerging talent into a senior engineer who can make real impact.
Read more: How to become an F1 engineer
Life as a mechanical design engineer
Joining Williams means joining a group of people who are ambitious, passionate and proud of nearly five decades of racing heritage. In design, that culture shows in how our engineers collaborate and stay open to different ideas.
Will felt that as soon as he arrived:
“My time at Williams has been really good, everyone’s so friendly and approachable. You really feel that shared drive to push the team back to the front of the grid.”
“Working in a team here is being open to anything. Being approachable when people want to come to you with something but also having the confidence to reach out to other team members when you need help or have a query is key to a high performing team. “
Why choose Williams for your Formula 1 mechanical design engineer career?
Choosing to join Williams means playing a huge part in our comeback story. Will joined partly because of that history, and partly because of what the team is becoming:
“I joined Williams because of the heritage, Williams is among the most historic teams on the grid, so it was a motivating factor to see the championships on the wall and hopefully help add a few more. I also knew some people who were here, and they told me great things about the career development process and the overall culture which drew me in.”
“The culture here is great. You never feel afraid to ask the right or wrong questions, and everyone’s there to help guide you on the right path.”
Create the winning formula as a mechanical design engineer
If you’re excited by Formula 1 mechanical design engineer jobs and want to help shape the future of our car, we’d love to hear from you. Explore our mechanical design engineer jobs and wider engineering jobs at Williams to see where you could fit in.
