The search for bright, budding engineering talent in the 2017 edition of the INFINITI Engineering Academy has concluded. Now, the seven winners from each region – Asia & Oceania, Canada, China, Europe, Mexico, the Middle East and United States – join a 12-month placement working on both automotive and Formula One technologies.
Canadian Winner – Matthew Crossan
Matthew Crossan is a Masters of Engineering Science student with a specialty in composite materials at Western University, and played a key role in the ongoing transfer of technical knowledge and expertise between Renault Sport Formula One Team and INFINITI. The 23-year old from London, Ontario was selected from thousands of entries and beat nine other finalists from around the country in an action-packed event in June at Luciani INFINITI in Montreal, Quebec.
The INFINITI Engineering Academy is the result of the technical partnership and strong collaboration between INFINITI Motor Company and the Renault Sport Formula One Team. To become one of the seven winners, applicants completed an online engineering puzzle test (designed by puzzle and brainteaser experts Brilliant) as part of a multi-stage recruitment process. The 10 best applicants were then invited to participate in a final competition in their specific region where the seven finalists secured their spot.
“With every edition of the Academy, we are more and more impressed by the amount of interest received from students all over the world and the incredible level of the talent attracted,” said Tommaso Volpe, Global Director, INFINITI Motorsport. “Students have seen the accomplishments of our former Academy graduates, who have forged successful careers in both automotive and motorsport. As a result, more students than ever before want to participate to get this once-in-a-lifetime engineering experience to launch their careers. With Formula One becoming more relevant to the automotive industry, and with an increased focus of the placements this year being on the road car development, we are training a new generation of engineers who will play a key role in the crossover between the two industries.”
The seven new winners are currently transitioning to the UK for a career opportunity of a lifetime that will include travel, an INFINITI company car, a salary and the chance to work alongside world-leading engineers at the cutting edge of the automotive and motorsport industries.
A key pillar of the INFINITI Engineering Academy is exploring crossover opportunities and the sharing of technology between INFINITI road cars and Renault Sport Formula One projects. With this added depth of knowledge transfer, and the enhanced scope for collaboration that the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance brings, the Academy provides an unmatched range of experiences and opportunities to the 2017 winners.
“The seven Academy winners from last year’s intake have already been working hard in important roles at our Enstone base, strengthening our technical resource with fresh-thinking engineering ability,” said Cyril Abiteboul, managing director, Renault Sport Racing. “Attracting top new talent is crucial for success in Formula One, and the Academy helps us to do this. We look forward to and presume the same great levels of talent from this year’s winners. They will be expected to quickly slot into our team and contribute to our 2017 and 2018
