Please could you tell us briefly when and what you studied, and how was your journey after completing your studies at Universidad Europea until reaching your current position?
I graduated in 2018 and studied Mechanical Engineering. After completing my studies at Universidad Europea, I did the MSc in Motorsport Engineering at Oxford Brookes University. Once I’d finished the master’s degree, and after 4 years of experience with Formula Student, I was offered a job for what was then Racing Point F1 Team as a composite design engineer. In 2021, this team became what is now Aston Martin F1 Team.
Tell us a little more about your everyday work. What do you enjoy the most? What challenges do you face on the daily? Do you have an anecdote you would like to share?
I’m part of the Composites department, which works on turning aerofoils designed by the aerodynamics department into physical, manufacturable parts. Since the majority of the parts are made of composite materials like carbon fibre, part of my job is also to design the moulds needed for manufacturing, as well as the bonding tools for different components. We do this by using a CAD design tool, which is used to design both 3D and flat components as well as rolled sheets. Essentially we make all of the physical car components that can be seen at a glance.
Because the manufacturing processes for composite parts are manual, a small proportion of the parts may be out of tolerance, i.e. not up to the expected standard, so it is also part of my job to amend the parts. This can be crucial for parts that are already out on the circuit or that have been damaged during a session, whenever that may be.
One of the benefits of working in this industry is that a lot of the things that end up being speculative about team underperformance are made known to all employees, so we hear about a lot of things that happen on the circuit that often don’t reach the ears of sports journalists.
The best anecdote I have from my time working for the team happened at the Sakhir Grand Prix, when we had the first and only win for the Racing Point team, despite having an accident in the first lap while coming in last place. I doubt I’ll ever feel as tense as I did during that race, the same goes for the joy I felt seeing the car I’d been working on for more than one year crossing the finish line in 1st place.
What is your best memory from Universidad Europea?
My best memory from Universidad Europea is working for many years as part of the Formula Student team, where I invested so many hours during my degree, designing parts and working in the manufacturing department in the mechanical manufacturing processes laboratory with the professor Daniel Santos Gualoto. To be able to transform all that effort into a single-seater car that would later race multiple times at such an iconic circuit as Silverstone, is a memory I will always cherish.
What advice would you give to those who have just finished their studies and are now going out into the working world?
The best advice I could give is that the most important thing in the first years of engineering is to grow and develop as a professional, and to find the area you like the most that motivates you to be able to focus your career path, as the first job you get is what will determine the rest of your life. Don’t give too much importance to the question of pay and focus more on the experience you can gain from the job. There’s no need to be afraid of applying for positions that might seem too big for you, because if you happen to get an interview, you have the chance to show them what you’re made of, make them reconsider and hire someone who they can train from an earlier age.