At Merchant Taylors’, we’re proud to support students in exploring their career aspirations through meaningful work experience. This term, Lower Sixth student Prahil S. worked incredibly hard to secure work experience at Atlassian Williams Racing, gaining first-hand insight into the world of Formula 1 engineering. Here, he shares his reflections on a truly inspiring experience.
Writes Prahil S. (L6)
Last week, I had the incredible opportunity to spend four unforgettable days at Atlassian Williams Racing as part of their early careers programme. It was an intense, inspiring, and eye-opening experience that deepened my passion for becoming an F1 engineer.
Within five minutes of arrival, I was watching the 2025 car being unloaded and standing beside the iconic 1995 Rothmans Williams. Immediately, I knew I was in for something special. I joined forces with the other nineteen students, and together, we explored every corner of the Williams operation, from manufacturing and design to strategy and simulation.
We toured the factory, saw cutting-edge CNC machines and 3D printers (including one I’ve used at school!), and learned how carbon fibre is layered for strength and weight reduction. I even got to build a steering wheel model, and my custom modifications caught the attention of a Williams engineer, who encouraged me to consider Design Engineering.
We also explored areas I hadn’t thought much about before, like procurement and cost cap management, and visited the Driver-in-the-Loop simulator while a test driver was running laps. I spoke with data engineers, tried a tyre change with the pit crew, and helped design a crash structure that placed 3rd in a team challenge.
The highlight was presenting our marketing project – a bold, Australian-themed livery launch, which won first place! We wrapped up with a session in the Esports Centre, where I clocked a 1:16.496 lap at Imola and came second in the reaction test.
This experience showed me how engineering, creativity, and teamwork come together in F1. It confirmed that this is the world I want to be part of — and I’m more motivated than ever to return to Williams one day as a degree apprentice.
I would like to thank the dedicated Early Careers team at Atlassian Williams for organising this wonderful opportunity.
