James Constantine.
A young engineer is on pole position for a successful career after securing a prestigious place in a Mercedes F1 academy program.
Engineering student James Constantine from Darlington College has started a position in Northamptonshire at the Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains Center in Brixworth.
He’s improving his skills by helping the engineers keep Mercedes F1 drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas at the top of the Formula 1 grid.
James, a rally cross driver, applied for the program after leaving Richmond School to study for a Level 3 Advanced Diploma in Engineering at Darlington College.
“I went to an interview and they told me to get some experience of what I did in a garage,” said James, 18, of North Cowton.
“I applied a year later and got in and now work in the testing department, that’s great.”
Motorsport is in James’ blood.
His father is a rally driver and James grew up in Dalton-on-Tees in the shadow of the Croft Circuit. His interest in automobiles began at the age of 10 and he currently drives a Suzuki Swift in national rally-cross championships.
“I’ve always been in Formula 1 and I hope that the academy place will turn into an apprenticeship,” he said. “The first time I visited the F1 factory it was amazing and I hope to get as far as possible in F1.”
He had high praise for Darlington College. He said, “I would really recommend it as you study in the classroom but also have time to gain work experience, and my tutor Rob Elliott was always there for me if I was ever stuck.”
Mr. Elliott added, “James’s story is a great example of the variety of amazing opportunities available in engineering. He definitely deserves his chance to work at the forefront of motorsport, as he was brave enough to approach Mercedes and persistently pursued his dream. “
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