r/F1Technical Verified F1 NDT Technician Jan 08 '21

Industry Insights My journey - School to Race Team in 6 Years

Hello Redditors,

I’ve been invited by the mods of this subreddit to give you guys an insight into my job in F1.

I’m hoping I can give you a different aspect than what the two people before me wrote due to my experience requiring less formal education and more of a hands on approach - basically showing that achieving a job in F1 is possible to everyone.

Everything written here only reflects my own opinions, experiences and thoughts which is in no way affiliated with the opinions of the team.

My Role

My job title is NDT Technician, which means that I monitor the material integrity for most of the components which make up the car. Typically, the factory based role of an NDT technician would be to check the components which have reached their service life or done R&D tests. Most components would last from 1 to 3 race weekends, after that they would get sent back to the factory for a full service and proof loading. If some items haven’t faired too well they will either be repaired or scrapped, but it totally depends on the type of part it is and this will be managed on an individual basis with communication from the design engineers and production managers.

When in the factory we have a comprehensive amount of equipment and methods at our disposal to make sure that we can fully assess each part and make sure that they’re not carrying any manufacturing defects before signing it off to send it trackside.

The methods we use in the factory are;

Ultrasonic Testing (UT) - CFRP & METALS- Using high frequency sound waves we can find defects in materials with an insane amount of precision and map the defected area to show the design engineers.

This’ll be used for mainly CFRP & metals

Eddy Current Testing (ET) - METALS - Using an electric AC we can induce an electromagnetic current within a metal (around the probe head) and find finite cracks on the surface of metals.

This’ll be used for mainly metals

Dye Penetrant Testing (DPI) - METALS- one of the simplest of the techniques, we basically dip a component in a fluorescent dye, wash off the excess dye with water or another emulsifier then visually check the surface under a ultraviolet light to see if there’s any cracks.

Magnetic Penetrant Test (MPI) - METALS- Very much the same method as DPI but we are inducing a magnetic current through the component and using an oil based fluid with fluorescent magnetic particles that fill the cracks (if any) on the surface of metal components.

X-Ray/CT Scan - CFRP & METALS - We can X-Ray and CT scan all components using a live fluoroscopy which gives us a real time digital look at components such as radiator cores and pipes.

Phased Array - CFRP - Pretty much the same concept as UT but we’re able to create almost a 3d image and remove each layer of CFRP of the survival cell to make sure the weave pattern is correct etc.

So with that being what we can do in the factory I’ll now focus on the aspect of the Race Team NDT role which is my job specifically.

I’m expected to monitor any high stressed items such as suspension components, gearbox and chassis, but also make sure that items that have reached their service life can be checked over before being fitted back on the cars. Normally this would be for double and triple headers so that we save time by not sending it back to the factory for a full turn around, we can rotate certain items that is fresh to then make that the prime part and anything which has been serviced trackside will be 1st or 2nd spares.

From time to time I’ll be asked by the engineers trackside who have seen on their data an overloaded component to check that specific item and make sure that with the overload there hasn’t been a material dis-bond, for example titanium to carbon bond within a suspension arm, but the most obvious time would be when there’s been a crash and mechanics need to know the extent of damage so we can make changing those damaged parts an easier and quicker decision, sometimes you don’t always see the damage we could have a spin into a wall causing rear wing damage but we could also potentially have a gearbox mounting damage or even worse engine mount damage, you don’t know fully what to expect so it’s always best to make sure the structural components get a full check and given the go ahead to be used again.

Capabilities we have trackside are very similar to the factory minus the x-ray/CT scan (I wish we could have this) so most things will be done using UT and we’ll be checking important CFRP to Metal Bonds or CFRP to CFRP bonds, secondary would be DPI because it’s quick and easy to drop parts in the dye and check with my UV torch after that we have ET for most titanium and aluminium surfaces and MPI for things like wheel nuts.

My Race week

Monday or Tuesday

Wake up, have breakfast and take the train/drive to the airport, usually LHR. We’ll arrive at the location to then get in our hire cars (fly aways) or company cars/vans (europeans), and drive to our hotel which normally is around 15-30mins away from the circuit.

Wednesday - 9-12hrs working

Wake up, travel to the circuit and set up my area. We have portable cabinets which carry all the tools and equipment we need, some people require more than one cabinet but my stuff doesn’t take up too much room. Once set up it’s a check of my emails to see if the factory have released some design notice or if Factory NDT dept has informed me of things to look out for from their findings in the previous week. I’ll probably do a couple of pieces which didn’t do a turn around service and that’ll be the day done.

Thursday - 9-12hrs working

If there’s more NDT to be doing I’ll do that for a while and then see if some of the guys need a hand either building some assemblies or composites. Finish the day, get food, sometimes I will take my bicycle and ride back to the hotel in the evening if we finish early.

Friday - 12 - 16hrs working

FP1 & FP2 Help with the running of the car during sessions just be on hand to help a car mechanic out with removing body work, putting tyres on and removing brake/engine fans when asked. While that’s the case I’ll always have my NDT equipment on standby to check any damage which arises from curb damage or vibrations, so you’ll see me walking around the car and checking critical areas for any visual damage. Once the day has finished and the cars get stripped it’s being on hand to check most items of the cars such as chassis, wings, gearboxes, body work, floors and many more. Everyone in the paddock finishes late on Friday’s so we normally get back to the hotel and just sleep!

Saturday - 10hrs working

FP3 same checks as Friday while the car is in and out of the garage. Quali day is probably my favourite day of the week as it’s so fast paced, and due to parc ferme regulations I can’t actually use any of my equipment unless a concession is given by the FIA. So just back to visual checks and report any findings to the Chief Mechanic. We normally finish early so I can have some time back at the hotel to chat to my SO and grab something nice to eat.

Sunday - 12-14hrs working

We arrive at the circuit a bit later in the day, and it’ll be a morning where we’ll make sure the car is ready for the race, I’ll be normally doing the pit board during the race so I can set up and watch the race on my laptop. Once we’ve finished the race we start packing the garage down before the cars are released from parc ferme, after about an hour or so the cars arrive back and I’ll start my NDT checks and logging any important information which could be passed onto the reliability engineers back at the factory. Once everything is packed I’ll head back to the hotel and packing my bags to go home early Monday morning.

How I got here

I never actually wanted to go to university when I was younger I just wanted to start making money, and buy myself a car. I went to 6th form (12th Grade) but politely got asked to leave so I needed to start getting serious. In my local newspaper there was a advert looking for people who can work with carbon fibre and they were prepared to train me, they specialised in making floors and body work for Force India and Marussia so that’s where started to learn how to laminate and trim CFRP for F1 teams. I stayed at that company for around 1.5 years until I moved to another CFRP manufacture that specialised in aerospace composites which taught me to be more precise and understand slightly the material science behind composite such as certain resin systems and weave patterns. Within composite technicians you have a lot of opportunities to become self employed and hire your services out to companies which are short on staff or require a semi permanent specialist, so I eventually set off and became a contractor which I managed to land my first proper F1 job with Toro Rosso in 2015 to help laminate the new 2016 chassis (STR11). Once my contract finished there I was able to move to Ferrari to help with their LaFerrari Aperta manufacturing and transitioned into Gestione Sportiva which was the F1 devision and I was able to help with their chassis for 2017 (SF70). Both contracts were great, it was my first time moving away from home and I got to live in Italy for a couple of years.

The next job had no relevance to F1 as I got hired to consult on some composite manufacturing for the Airbus A350 in Belgium which was a great experience. This is when I found out about NDT

by a New Zealand colleague who told me about what he did and most importantly how much money he was making contracting, which spoke volumes to me! I finished my time in Belgium with an old Italian friend I had at Toro Rosso contacting me asking if I’d like to help out at Sauber in Switzerland which was a very short contract because of Swiss working laws, but I got to live just on Lake Zurich which is possibly one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been too.

After completing my NDT training in the UK, I had to find a job in the field within a year to get my full certifications, but it’s not a very easy field to get into if you’re not fully qualified. I ended up having to take a couple more contracts doing some composite work, and when they didn’t work out I decided to accept a night shift position at Renault F1 to do composite laminating. While I was there I got to meet the NDT night shift guy, and within a few months a position opened up for NDT on the race team. I applied and ended up getting the job as Race Team positions aren’t always easy to fill, and most NDT people aren’t in their 20’s with no ties so they’d rather not be on the team.

I definitely didn’t have a clear path to follow from the start, I just took little steps at a time and worked really hard at each of those steps. I always thought it would be cool to work at all the F1 races but it wasn’t necessarily my ultimate goal.

Negatives

As it was put on the couple of posts before, the lifestyle is intense. You’re running at 100% the whole week with long days and that can be tiring mentally and physically which some people just can’t handle, I’ve seen many people not be able to handle it and eventually they implode.

You find yourself away from home for around 6 months of the year, so you need a very understanding partner/family. This isn’t something which is documented much about F1 and not many people seem to think about the mechanics who have to travel to 20-23 race weeks (not just weekends) a year plus tests, it all takes a toll on marriages and families.

Most business travel isn’t glamorous and F1 is no exception - we fly economy and share hotel rooms (in non covid times) but it’s still a really fun lifestyle.

Positives

I think the biggest positive I have is that I’m able to be right at the centre of the action - the factory based personnel does a great job but I like being able to see the fruits of my labour and being on the team allows me to do that. Everyone trackside is a master of their trade, they work with absolute precision, speed and cool to make sure that if there’s an incident that we can get that car out on circuit for the next session. It’s nice to know that you’re a part of that environment which only a certain amount of people get to experience.

Working with DR, the two years he drove for us we were able to have a chat now and again, and I think having him join us in the garage the atmosphere was lifted. His charisma was quite contagious and that helped us no end, we saw that he had the capabilities to put the car on a podium and with that we were trying harder to make sure everything was perfect and nothing left to chance.

I have the chance to visit so many places around the world with the freedom of actually travelling to new places in-between events and normally my SO would come out to a few destinations and we’d then fly off somewhere else for the week after for a small vacation before going to the next race.

I’ve learnt so much and the opportunities the team gives you if you’re eager to have a go at doing something new people will teach you and eventually it’ll be something which if the mechanic is busy you’ll drop on it and help out to make the whole process quicker and more efficient. Most people have numerous skills which makes them a better fit for the race team.

A small positive is that I get to steer the car during pitstop practice. It’s just a cool perk.

Conclusion

I’d like to say that it’s no walk in the park to achieve the career I’ve taken but I would say that you dont have to go to university as long as you work hard, take relevant steps and a small amount of luck you’ll get there. Most of the guys on the team have worked a lot harder to get where they have and probably their progression was much longer than mine but still we’re all where we want to be right now.

I’m currently thinking of actually doing a motorsport engineering degree while racing so it’s never too late to go back to formal education and earn my salary at the same time.

I’ll be on Reddit most of the day so if you have any questions no matter how obscure I’ll try to answer.

905 Upvotes

67 comments sorted by

101

u/Guvius Jan 08 '21

I must say, thank you and the mods for doing this

22

u/dl064 Jan 11 '21

It's crazy that when I joined 8 or so years ago it was just some dorks on the internet and now it's got clear links to reality and the people who matter.

57

u/[deleted] Jan 08 '21

This is a great write up. Thanks so much for it! How did covid affect your schedule?

46

u/mattbrom Verified F1 NDT Technician Jan 08 '21

We flew to Melbourne and this was the first indication that this year wasn't going to be normal, everything seemed different and walking into the circuit with spectators not being able to watch the race just made me feel really sad for those guys.

We spent around 2 months back at the factory waiting for the calendar to straighten up and then we had a really intense year with our double and triple headers so it wasn't easy.

I wouldn't like to hazard a guess at how many covid tests I've had this year!

59

u/Cabut Jan 08 '21

A small positive is that I get to steer the car during pitstop practice

You drive an F1 car at every race, and only mention it at the end of the article? I'd be having business cards printed :)

20

u/mattbrom Verified F1 NDT Technician Jan 08 '21

Haha, thanks man! It's a great little perk

19

u/NippyMoto_1 Jan 08 '21

Just out of curiosity do these budget caps mean that you guys will have to take pay cuts? Because fuck me sideways I'd be spewing if I was working 12 hour days spending so much time away from family while flying economy etc to then have to take a paycut while drivers get to jet around in private jets making millions.

25

u/mattbrom Verified F1 NDT Technician Jan 08 '21

You totally get it.

Budget caps wont mean pay cuts for sure, I'm not too sure on what the budget cap will do for our salaries. I think if I'm to voice an opinion about the budget cap, I'm annoyed about it including employees salaries.

The drivers making millions is something which you deal with but I do think somewhat if you're creating a cap it should be solely on the development of building a car not staffing costs.

17

u/NYankee1927 Jan 08 '21

How often do you see CFRP damage from just stones being kicked up or odd impacts vs the components time out or have a large incident? The prevailing opinion among many keyboard warriors is somehow CFRP is incredibly fragile in this environment.

28

u/mattbrom Verified F1 NDT Technician Jan 08 '21

So yes, your leading edges of wings and barge boards can get hit the hardest from stones but that effect is factored in and we can use different fibre materials with a tighter weave to actually be more resistant to the stone chips and its very effective. Odd impacts can be taken it really depends on what it is and where, most items that break are items which aren't typically designed to flex like your wings and they'll be incredibly thin lay up. The composite team trackside will be able to repair any chips or slightly cracked CFRP components to the original spec.

I'd say that we'd see some damage most weekends but it's minor. CFRP isn't as fragile as some think we make suspension components out of it so if its designed to take crazy amount of loads we'll have a material engineer make sure we maximise the rigidity of the component. Most areas which are hot for damage they'll easily be replaceable with a few fasteners.

14

u/NYankee1927 Jan 08 '21

Question 2 from me. Do you think the effective life of components these days is going to prohibit historic racing in the future?

26

u/mattbrom Verified F1 NDT Technician Jan 08 '21

Not at all, I own an 1989 F3000 which is fully composite chassis and while I can monitor the materials I can that the materials are still very strong without any defects. I think properly maintained you can keep on top of most problems, I think the the main issue would be current hybrid F1s not being original spec for private customers due to the engines hybrid systems they're just too dangerous for none trained personnel.

4

u/NYankee1927 Jan 08 '21

Awesome info, thanks for the reply!

14

u/helmetless_stig Charlie Whiting Jan 08 '21

Sorry if I missed it, but you landed this F1 job without a university degree, just experience?

31

u/mattbrom Verified F1 NDT Technician Jan 08 '21

Yes, sorry if it wasn't clear! I managed to get through with just relevant experience

8

u/Secret_Simple744 Feb 16 '21

I’d be lucky to get a position at McDonalds...seems like anything interesting in Canada, requires a tonne of experience, an education or your uncle to get you in the door.

12

u/kurdipower Jan 08 '21

Thanks for the post, enjoyed reading it! Just wondering, is the job mostly physically and mentally intensive from the effort standpoint or is it also something that requires lots of knowledge? Or is it just an experience thing? (of which it appears you have quite a bit!)

23

u/mattbrom Verified F1 NDT Technician Jan 08 '21

Thanks for the feedback!

The job is definitely physically intensive from all the effort of standing on your feet all day, running around to get jobs done plus pack up we do have a lot of heavy items to lift and pack away. Mentally would be the jet lag which can be difficult (Azerbaijan to Canada, god help me), tiredness from being active and maybe working late. I would say you need to be knowledgable as you're the only person which specialises in that one thing thats needed so you have to make the decisions without much help.

9

u/Careless_Witness_732 Jan 08 '21

I think you are European? Do you have any tips for an American to get involved?

22

u/mattbrom Verified F1 NDT Technician Jan 08 '21

I would say to gain experience with smaller race series you have in the US, such as GTs or Indy lights and as soon as you gain enough experience you will have teams which are willing to sponsor the right candidate regardless of nationality.

7

u/Careless_Witness_732 Jan 08 '21

Ok thank you. Good luck in you career!

7

u/big-up-red-bill Jan 08 '21

When you work in the factory what kind of environment is it? Is it laid back and people are friendly or is it very stressful and efficient

24

u/mattbrom Verified F1 NDT Technician Jan 08 '21

I'm very rarely in the factory, it's normally mid January to March and then we're in for a week before we do fly away races to help pack freight.

The environment is really nice, obviosuly there's times where we have a massive rush and departments can be stressed but its part of motorsport. People are very friendly you'll say hello to most people and sometimes stop to chat for a little bit over a coffee!

8

u/x1asdfghjkl1x Red Bull Jan 08 '21

What is the certification process you went through? I’m a Canadian NDT tech, ours is a clone of ISO9712. Do you have to perform all methods of inspection, or do you have multiple techs certified in different methods?

14

u/mattbrom Verified F1 NDT Technician Jan 08 '21

I went through the PCN route initially as I didn't have anyone to sponsor me for a EN4179 accreditation, plus in F1 we don't really have any specifications to work to like with Airbus and Boeing. Yes I can perform all methods, I am currently holding certs for UT, ET, MPI and DPI. When I want to work on the X-ray I'll be supervised by one of our radiographers. Most techs in the factory are all certified in the basic methods with 2 radiographers for the x-ray machine.

7

u/SnowKatten Jan 08 '21

Great write up! This is fascinating.

With the addition of LiDAR onto phones, has there been talk of building software to allow you to scan the cars while in parc ferme? Do the parc ferme rules allow you to use a phone to check for damage or do they only allow for visual inspection?

(I don’t know if the iPhone 12 LiDAR is sensitive enough to detect for damage, but I suspect the sensor would improve over time.)

7

u/mattbrom Verified F1 NDT Technician Jan 08 '21

thank you for the feedback!

No there isn't talk of using LIDAR to actually inspect the car for damage during parc ferme as I suspect it'll be banned due to the use of measuring equipment without FIA prior approval. There is use of the Leica laser scanners to take measurements of the car and check the legality of it before taking it to the bridge.

Also because the damage can be so tiny it takes a human eye (and touch) to see any possible cracks.

8

u/Mr_Fantomas Jan 08 '21

Thank you for taking your time to write this, it's well written and insightful.

Question: Did you have to learn French/German while working for Renault/Sauber or English is enough? Mainly the technical terms required for your position. And what is your favourite moment of your F1 career?

18

u/mattbrom Verified F1 NDT Technician Jan 08 '21

The only place I really had to learn a language was Ferrari, it was always a little bit easier to integrate with the Italians when I learnt the basics and mainly the technical terms. I didn't have to learn the language for anywhere else I worked, I mean Renault F1 is in the UK but I do try and make an effort to speak French when I can (my SO is French) and I should make more of an effort.

My favourite moment by a mile was Eifel GP, it was such a high to get to celebrate like all the other F1.5 teams got to this season so I'm very grateful for that. Oh and also the Tuscan GP being able to be in Florence was the best, I do wish we can go back there in the future.

6

u/Mr_Fantomas Jan 08 '21

Thank you and good luck learning French.

3

u/NeroTrident Verified F1 Aerodynamicist Jan 08 '21

Ferrari has always been the dream for me but languages were never my strength. I’ve never taken any language past GCSE and I’m a very mathematical person.

How quickly were you able to learn Italian? Were you already semi up to scratch when you arrived? I have never taken a single lesson of Italian in my life (but have done Spanish to GCSE and got an A*...) Does having a SO who speaks french make it easier to learn Italian?

Secondly, are the majority (or all) of the engineers at Ferrari Italian? Do they have a bias towards their own nationality and will exclusively hire Italians?

Sorry for the onslaught of question - I love Ferrari and would definitely want to work there if I could.

9

u/mattbrom Verified F1 NDT Technician Jan 08 '21

Honestly I knew nothing of Italian, you pick it up super fast. It’s very much linked to English and when you’re surrounded by Italians there’s only one thing you’re going to do and that’s learn to speak! You’ll feel goofy at first but making an effort goes a long way for the Ferrari mentality.

My SO was amazing in Italy she was able to help out when we got stuck, fortunately she learnt Italian at school! If you got a good grade in Spanish you’ll be very much on your way!

There’s a mix bag of engineers same for everything F1 but majority is Italian!

2

u/NeroTrident Verified F1 Aerodynamicist Jan 09 '21

Wow that’s cool to hear. Fortunately I am still in Sixth Form and my Spanish Teacher from GCSE years is also my Head of House so I keep in touch with her. Might ask if she can help me out with some Italian before I leave for Uni and then I can carry it on myself!

Good to hear that not everyone in Ferrari is Italian. Their internship programs I will definitely apply for when I go to Uni and hopefully I’ll be able to spend a year in Italy.

6

u/jianh1989 Jan 09 '21

You and the recent posts by the strategist and composite design engineer are all GODSEND. Thanks for posting.

5

u/constance_a_l Jan 08 '21

Thank you, OP, for taking the time to do this.

How much do the drivers impact your day-to-day work? Do they give feedback related to your area of expertise? Do you get annoyed at some of them if they are harder on the car (or crash more)?

21

u/mattbrom Verified F1 NDT Technician Jan 08 '21

No problem, I really think F1 should open up a little bit to give you guys more of an insight.

Honestly, drivers don't seem to give feedback for anything quality related. If they obviously crash then I get my feedback by just looking at the car! hahaha.

A story which came to mind was DRs first race in Melbourne in 2019 and I just said to him "just go balls deep" and he stopped for a minute to think about what I said and he laughed and said "always", after which he managed to hit the infamous gutter. He came around the garage and apologised to the guys and he saw me and just said "I guess you didn't mean to go that far?" - He was a great sport like that.

Edit - I didn't see your last question.

So no, I dont get annoyed because they're racing cars and they're to be driven hard. At the time it leaves the garage it's in the hands of the driver and they make the call while on track so if there's a crash unfortunately thats the nature of the game.

5

u/constance_a_l Jan 08 '21

Thanks for the answer! Sounds like an awesome job.

5

u/Steve061 Jan 09 '21

Hey thanks u/mattbrom for the effort in writing that up. It's brilliant.

I'm interested in the driver feedback and you mentioned the effect DR had - as an Aussie I am of course a fan and have read about his morale boost on the team.

How technical is the driver feedback or is it more just descriptive along of the lines of "feel"? Sometime a car can feel fast, but the numbers say different, so I'm guessing it can be very subjective?

10

u/mattbrom Verified F1 NDT Technician Mar 31 '21

Sorry this is late, so a lot of drivers would use 'feel' as a dynamic in which they can portray the movement of a car threw sector 1/2 or 3, DR is definitely a driver which feels the car and helps the engineers like that.

Someone like FA knows exactly what he needs and how the car should react in those instances, something silly but he recently said over the radio that the rear left felt odd and told the mechanics to check the winglets on the floor...one had broken off. Amazing knowledge and mechanical understanding.

5

u/Steve061 Mar 31 '21

Thanks

FA's technical knowledge seems very high.

I get the impression many drivers would just be saying "It's over-steering" or "feels a bit sloppy". To know the difference between a tyre going off and being able to nominate a winglet as the cause is wow!

5

u/sayersLIV Mar 24 '21 edited Mar 25 '21

I'm super late but just wanted to add my thanks to OP and to the sub/mods mods for arranging this and for keeping it pinned until it gets replaced. I would never have seen it otherwise.

Very interesting stuff. These sorts of detailed AMAs are unique to reddit really and are a special opportunity. It's the main thing that keeps me coming back here.

7

u/Noname_Maddox Ross Brawn Mar 24 '21

Glad you liked it. We are really trying to do something different with this sub and bring some quality info from the people that know.

4

u/[deleted] Jan 08 '21

Interesting read. Most NDT isn't so exiting. What keeps you from having x-ray at the races? Is it a safety or regulatory concern. I can see this, as not many people are comfortable with this in their immediate area. There are certainly plenty of portable x-ray solutions available.

7

u/mattbrom Verified F1 NDT Technician Jan 08 '21

100% the reason we cant have X-Ray trackside is that we wouldn't be able to maintain the safety requirements of distancing people on each shot, also we wouldn't be legally able to ship the X-Ray material to each country. It would be a massive paper pushing exercise for something we can just send back to the factory to get checked out properly.

4

u/[deleted] Jan 08 '21

I can understand shipping radioactive sources would be tough, but does this headache extend to x-ray tubes or pulse generators? Some of these you can fit in your pocket now. And some of the detectors now can get some good resolution in the images.

I guess at the end of the day they still don't want people walking around with a portable x-ray machine in a crowd of thousands.

Still, very cool to hear about NDT being used in something fun.

4

u/mattbrom Verified F1 NDT Technician Jan 08 '21

I would say it'll most likely be x-ray tubes, it wouldn't matter regardless because each country will have their own regulation on radiation safety. Can you imagine in the unlikely occurrence that you loose a small piece of the radioactive material, the whole place would have to be evacuated.

It definitely has an important role within F1 for sure!

3

u/[deleted] Jan 08 '21

I keep forgetting the different countries every weekend. The paperwork. I can't even imagine.

3

u/colbert23 Jan 09 '21

Thankyou for taking the time to write this all up - no questions but a fascinating insight, cheers!

2

u/[deleted] Jan 08 '21

A small positive is that I get to steer the car during pitstop practice. It’s just a cool perk.

What do you mean with that?

3

u/Astelli Jan 08 '21

Someone needs to sit in the car and steer when the crew practice outside of the sessions, OP is that person.

6

u/mattbrom Verified F1 NDT Technician Jan 08 '21

Answered it for me!

2

u/[deleted] Jan 08 '21

Thanks for your time. Any difference in hownthings are done between ferrari, toro rosso and other uk teams?

14

u/mattbrom Verified F1 NDT Technician Jan 08 '21

I can tell you chassis manufacturing is totally different between the teams! At Ferrari one thing stood out to me and that was the Italian employees must always be doing some important job, for instance if you’re just doing a boring job like making brackets that’ll be for the contracted workers and the important pieces would be like the wings, rweps and chassis would be given to the Ferrari employees. Where as typically Toro were very neutral and went with skilled people..if you catch my drift?

3

u/run_walk Feb 20 '21

Ooh! That’s an interesting insight into Ferrari.

With that insight, a shakeup may help Ferrari achieve F1 success...

2

u/[deleted] Jan 08 '21

Amazing post, I really loved it. Have you ever experienced a case where manufacturing defect made a good part perform badly without anyone perceiving? For example, the engineers created an amazing front wing, however due to some manufacturing defect the wing performed poorly.

5

u/mattbrom Verified F1 NDT Technician Jan 08 '21

Thanks! I appreciate the feedback.

It happens all the time, you try new parts and sometimes they just don't quite make the gains you're looking for but as for defected parts, I cant say that any component which has been manufactured defective has ever made it to the circuit to get put on the car. There's a series of depts which see every component before it goes onto the circuit and usually any defect is already found!

2

u/from1972 Nov 08 '21

kudos to matt answering everyone

2

u/mattbrom Verified F1 NDT Technician Nov 10 '21

Thanks, mate.

1

u/isaachahn_ Mar 28 '21

Hey, I would love to work in f1 someday as a race engineer or strategist, what kind of schooling would I have to take?

1

u/Dannjill1990 Mar 30 '21

Amazing read. I am working as a ndt technician at offshore platforms. Came here by the ndt vacancy which is open at redbull. Do you think it is possible to get a job as an Dutch person? I am holding Mpi, dye pen, visual, ut, eddy current and xray certificates. Got all the experience. Just need to know a way to get into milton keynes😍.

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u/mattbrom Verified F1 NDT Technician Mar 31 '21

That's cool!

I think it's very possible for you to get a job, i think the only requirement would be for you to get your documents all set up for a 'right to live and work' in the UK. Brexit has made it difficult for all europeans to come to the UK to work and vise versa.

My question for you though is why wouldn't you become self employed and do contract work for offshore rigs? I understand that the money is fair superior than what you'll achieve in F1, but correct me if i'm wrong?

All you need in F1 as an NDT Tech would be quick thinking, quick working and the ability to understand CFRP structures (you'll learn this with practical experience)

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u/Dannjill1990 Mar 31 '21

Thanks for your response. Offshore isn’t what it used to be money wise. But money is not everything offcourse. I think i will just my cv in to redbull. If I don’t try you would never know. Best regards, Danny

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u/mattbrom Verified F1 NDT Technician Apr 01 '21

Exactly you should always try. I think Williams also have an opening for NDT. You should check that out

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u/[deleted] May 26 '21

Dude, triple headers sound awful with that schedule. And there are 3 this year!

1

u/bigwman Nov 21 '21

what advice would you give to a 19 year old trying to get into F1?

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u/mattbrom Verified F1 NDT Technician Nov 21 '21

Work hard, go and work at local small racing teams such as F4, F3 and progress to national level - world champ level then you’re on your way