On July 30th, the Final Presentation held on the ING Renault F1 Team technical centre in Enstone (UK) ended with the announcement of the Altran Engineering Academy's fourth laureate: Josef Dubský, from the Czech Republic.
Genuinely surprised, the 25-year-old was at a loss for words when Robin Tuluie, Head of R&D for ING Renault F1 Team, called his name at the end of a tense day. Earlier, he had held his own when the jury deluged him with questions following his exposé on Automatic Aerodynamic Optimization based on CFD. This brilliant presentation, coupled with his on-the-spot argumentation, allowed him to get ahead of the competition.
"This year the level of candidates was as high as ever but unfortunately there could only be one winner," commented Robin Tuluie, Head of R&D with the Renault F1 Team. "I was really impressed by the preparation, the passion and research they had put into their work and I am sure they will all have a successful career. I hope all of them will fulfil their dream one day."
Following in the steps of previous winners from the UK, Spain and Sweden, Josef will return to Enstone in September to begin his 6-month placement with ING Renault F1 Team, working in the Research and Development department under Robin Tuluie. Salary, accommodation and a company car will await him when his dream comes true in a few weeks' time.
Although the six other finalists did not win the ultimate prize, they did not travel so far for nothing. This once-in-a-lifetime experience courtesy of Altran and ING Renault F1 Team, coupled with an exclusive factory tour and gift bag, was very well worth the trip from Italy, Germany or even Brazil!
All of them impressed the judges by the quality and inventiveness of their projects. Headed by Robin Tuluie, the jury was made up of experienced engineers from Altran and ING Renault F1 Team: Alfonso Martinez is the Managing Director for Altran Technologies in Spain, Olivier Guillaud is a Senior Consultant in the partnership between Altran and ING Renault F1 Team, and Dr. Alexander Gentemann is a Senior Consultant with Askon.
About the Altran Engineering Academy
Founded in 2004, the Altran Engineering Academy is a unique initiative with a clear goal: giving young talent a chance. Formula 1 is a notoriously closed world where it is often extremely difficult for talented young engineers to get their break. In line with the ING Renault F1 Team's commitment to open up Formula 1 at all levels, and underscoring Altran's commitment to engineering talent, the AEA was founded as a ‘star academy' with the goal of giving young engineers the chance to prove themselves at the highest level. The result has been a runaway success, with nearly 1000 young engineers entering detailed technical projects in the competition since 2004. Josef Dubský is the fourth winner of the AEA.
