​Livingston school pupils are heading to Singapore after winning F1 competition

Six Livingston students are off to Singapore after winning a competition to design a Formula 1 car.

The Deans Community High School students came highest of all the Scottish entrants in the Formula 1 in Schools competition – a not-for-profit organisation promoting engineering to young people.

Called Team Apex, the students they shocked and excited by the result.

“We’re all very overwhelmed,” said team manager, Leona Dempsey. “We really didn’t expect to get this far, let along to be going to the world finals.

“We think it was our verbal presentation that gave us the edge on the competition. We’re really enjoying doing the competition and have learnt so much.

“We can’t wait to be in Singapore.”

We really didn't expect to get this far, let along to be going to the world finals.

F1 in Schools challenges students to create their own Formula 1 team which is commissioned to design, construct and race the fastest miniature Formula 1® car of the future; a 21cm long scale model built from a block of balsa wood and powered by a compressed air cylinder.

Each team of between three and six students creates a pit display at the national finals and showcases their work in developing their race car, with a verbal and written presentation for the judges.

The teams then race their model cars on a specially designed 20 metre test track, with the cars covering the distance in just over one second.

Andrew Denford, chairman and founder of F1 in Schools, said: “It has been very rewarding to see the standards achieved by the students competing in this year's event."

Scotland also featured in the awards of the Rookie category of the competition, with Woodmill Falcons, a team of 13-year-old students from Woodmill High School, Dunfermline, taking the runners up spot.