Formula Student team reaches new milestones at 2025 event

Glasgow Caledonian University’s Formula Student team, GCU Racing, recently returned from this year’s competition at Silverstone with several important achievements under their belt.

Now in its third year, the team focused less on chasing points and more on completing and presenting a fully built car for scrutineering − a first for GCU Racing. After an initial inspection revealed close to 30 required fixes, the team spent long hours in the pits addressing each item. Their work paid off when the car passed two major scrutineering areas: Safety and Chassis.

Formula Student is an international motorsport competition run by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. It challenges university students to design, build and present a single-seater racing car, with teams judged across multiple areas including engineering design, business planning, and on-track performance. The event takes place each summer at Silverstone and involves more than 100 teams from universities around the world.

Although the team dropped slightly in the overall standings compared to last year, members felt the main goal had been met: designing and building a car that could be taken through scrutineering. Their score in the Design event also improved significantly, rising from five points in 2024 to 32 this year.

The 2025 team included 77 students from across all three academic Schools, working in sub-teams covering areas such as Brakes, Chassis, Electrical, Powertrain, Suspension, and Non-Technical roles. With support from the GCU Foundation and external sponsors, students were able to take part in the programme without financial barriers.

Professor Tuleen Boutaleb, Vice-Dean of the School of Computing, Engineering and Built Environment, said: “This experience helps students apply their learning in a practical context and develop skills they’ll carry into their careers. It’s encouraging to see the team continuing to build momentum.”

Looking ahead, the team is already planning for 2026, with a review under way to create more focused sub-teams and strengthen preparations for next year’s event.