Premium automaker INFINITI awards an engineering student from Cambridgeshire, UK, the career opportunity of a lifetime to work with INFINITI and Renault F1® Team, as Oliver Milner is crowned winner of the INFINITI Engineering Academy 2019 European final.
The INFINITI Engineering Academy is a global search for motivated engineering talent to work across automotive and Formula One™. This unique program is the most successful technical recruitment initiative of its kind, with 50% of past winners securing full time roles at either INFINITI or in F1® following their placement. Through the Academy, INFINITI has successfully recruited talented student engineers in Europe for six consecutive years.
The 24-year-old Automotive & Motorsport engineering student Oliver Milner was selected by a panel of judges from INFINITI, Renault F1® Team, the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance and Harvard University, ahead of nine other finalists and thousands of applicants from around Europe in an action-packed final at Renault F1® Team Technical Centre in Enstone, Oxfordshire.
To compete, the students tackled an intensive program designed to evaluate both technical and soft skills, which included an engineering exam, intensive one-to-one interviews, a decision-making challenge designed by Harvard University Professor Dr. Julia Minson, a Formula 1™ technical challenge designed by Renault F1® Team, and build a dragster model vehicle.
Milner will begin his placement in January 2020. During this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity he will spend six months working at the Renault F1® Team’s Technical Center (Enstone) and six months at INFINITI’s European Technical Center (Cranfield). Included in the prize package are travel, accommodation, access to a company car and a competitive salary, as well as the opportunity to work with world-leading engineers at the forefront of the automotive and motorsport industries.
Tommaso Volpe, Director of Global Motorsport & Performance Projects, INFINITI commented, “At INFINITI, we believe that human talent is the driving force behind technology. The Engineering Academy has been incredibly successful; it has allowed us to discover the best emerging talent around the world. In fact, it is no accident that half of our former winners have secured full-time engineering positions in the automotive or in Formula 1™.”
Cyril Abiteboul, Managing Director, Renault Sport Racing, also added: ‘Attracting top new talent is crucial for success in Formula 1™, and the INFINITI Engineering Academy helps us to achieve our goal. It takes a unique talent to flourish in this industry, and the quality, in-depth selection process employed by the INFINITI Engineering Academy enables us to search for the right people efficiently. Time is the most precious commodity in Formula One™, knowing the intensive process our new engineering undergraduates have been through before they reach us is very reassuring.”
Commenting on his win, Milner said: “I am still in shock! It has been really challenging, but once the technical challenges were out of the way, the practical side was really enjoyable. It’s a great opportunity and I cannot wait to start in January!”
“New engineering solutions are developed minute by minute in Formula 1™ – Track to road technology is more important than ever. We are training a new generation of engineers, with an important role to play in the crossover between the two industries, while empowering them with a unique program by the largest automotive alliance, Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi”, concluded Volpe.
For more information on the INFINITI Engineering Academy or to apply, please visit academy.infiniti.com
