Career
How Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team and Fernando Alonso use karting to inspire students
by Samarth Kanal
2min read
In recent years, Formula 1 teams have used their platforms to inspire more students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Aston Martin Formula 1 Team is doing so with the help of its two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso.
Two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso at his event in Asturias ahead of the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix.
In 2011, Alonso founded a sports complex in his home region of Asturias, Spain, to serve as a museum centred around his illustrious racing career – and it also includes a karting circuit and even a golf course.
This year, the Aston Martin F1 driver has hosted karting events in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Shanghai, China. Ahead of the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Alonso combined a karting event with STEM workshops hosted with the help of the Aston Martin F1 Team.
With a focus on inspiring them to pursue STEM careers, more than 30 Spanish students attended the event at Museo y Circuito Fernando Alonso on June 19, 2024.
Events like this one today help to engage those battling to make it through the ranks in their chosen disciplines
Fernando Alonso
, Aston Martin F1 Team
“Motorsports has grown in popularity over the years in Spain and we hope to see more Spanish talent making it into the highest level of racing. Aramco is extremely passionate about this topic and it’s great to see such a fantastic program to help these students across many of the STEM disciplines.
“It was very special to host this event in my hometown and museum. Events like this one today help to engage those battling to make it through the ranks in their chosen disciplines, and raise the interest levels for racing, which leaves a lasting mark in the region and country.”
Aston Martin F1 Team runs numerous other STEM programmes through its ‘Make A Mark’ initiative. This initiative includes a collaboration with the Aleto Foundation, a charity which promotes the development of young people in achieving their full potential, talks and events at universities near grand prix venues, and at its Silverstone factory.
A grid of karts at Alonso’s eponymous karting circuit in Spain
An engineer talks to students at the Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team event.
Furthermore, the team launched the Aspiring Mechanics Programme in 2024 together with Valvoline. Aston Martin launched this programme with 35 mechanical students from Milton Keynes College on June 3, 2024, with team members including Head of Build and Car Assembly Mark Gray sharing their insights with aspiring students.
Rania Biltagi, Marketing, Partnership & Sponsorship Manager at Aramco, said in a release issued by the F1 team: “At Aramco, we believe in pushing the limits of possibility through sport, and we are using sports as a platform to drive innovation, create opportunity, improve lives and positively impact society.
“Together with the Aston Martin Aramco Formula 1 Team, we seek to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers, sports fans and even racing drivers. Through these fantastic events, we hope that we continue to ignite the innovative, inclusive, and passionate potential within the youth, who will be the STEM leaders of tomorrow.”
Other F1 teams have also launched similar STEM-focused initiatives. For example, Alpine and Microsoft have joined to launch a female-focused education programme with online resources and competitions, while Mercedes has joined forces with Lewis Hamilton’s Mission 44 charity to boost diversity within motorsport.