The final of the Altran Engineering Academy (AEA) took place at the Renault F1 Team’s UK headquarters in Enstone last week where 10 young engineers competed to win two internships with the Renault F1 Team.

The level of excellence of this annual competition was as high as ever, but after much deliberation the jury, headed by Dr Robin Tuluie of the Renault F1 Team, is pleased to announce Michele Parmigiani from Italy, and Albert Illera López from Spain, as the 2010 Altran Engineering Academy laureates.

Michele: “I would never have thought I could begin my engineering career in an F1 team, and now thanks to the Altran Engineering Academy jury, who believed in my idea, my dream has come true. I would like to point out the number of applicants in this year’s competition because only 170 candidates applied for the chance to work in a F1 Team! For future candidates, I would say that this is the best chance that someone could offer you…so make sure you take it!”

Albert: "Being one of the winners of the Altran Engineering Academy is incredible. My dream of becoming a Formula 1 engineer is now a reality and I’m only 22 years old. I cannot wait to start the internship! At the same time I want to say thank you to Altran and the Renault F1 Team because they have shown that they believe in young engineers. Thanks also to IES La Romanica, my high school, and the Technical University of Catalonia because they have allowed me to become who I am right now.”

They will begin their six-month placements with the team on 2 September with Michele based at Enstone, while Albert will become the first laureate to take up a position in the team’s engine facility at Viry-Châtillon in Paris. During their internships they will receive a salary, a Renault company car, and accommodation.

“Michele displayed a fundamental understanding of race car dynamics rarely witnessed in students his age,” explained Robin Tuluie, Head of Research and Development at Renault F1 Team. “Derived from these fundamentals, he presented an innovative solution for improving car performance, together with a sound project plan. We very much look forward to working with Michele and, if the history of the Altran Engineering Academy winners is a guide, I expect it will be a very enjoyable and beneficial experience for all of us.”

Stéphane Rodriguez, Head of Testing and Reliability for the engine department of the Renault F1 Team explained why Albert was the other standout candidate: “We were positively impressed by Albert’s presentation, as well as by his intellectual and scientific approach. I am sure he will quickly become integrated into our team here in Viry. We expect Albert to join our fluid calculation unit where he will be able to put his skills to the test on studies related to engine internal aerodynamics topics.”

The eight other candidates from Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal and the UK, also impressed the jury with the high quality and ingenuity of their projects. Headed by Robin Tuluie, the jury also included Alfonso Martinez, the Managing Director of Altran Technologies Spain and International Director of the Mechanical Engineering Group Solution. Saeed Kazim was the final member on the panel in his role as Senior consultant of Altran Technologies UK working for the Renault F1 Team.

Alfonso Martinez commented: “As in previous years, all candidates have shown an extraordinary talent and passion for engineering. They all did a great job on preparing their presentations and we found some very innovative ideas, and the technical discussions with all the candidates were really interesting. This initiative is a unique way to discover talents at an early stage and help them to become excellent engineers.”

Saeed Kazim commented: “The Renault F1 factory bubbled with the enthusiasm and creativity brought by the ten promising, young engineers. They impressed with a set of presentations that covered a wide range of technical disciplines, but all shared the originality of thought, coupled with rigorous reasoning and mental discipline. These are qualities which both Altran and the Renault F1 team value, and seek to foster in the next generation of F1 innovators.”