In October 2016, 22-year old Queensland University student, Jaden Partridge, won a place at the INFINITI Engineering Academy. Selected from a pool of over 4000 applicants, Jaden was chosen for one of seven positions, becoming the first Australian winner. Jaden was awarded the unique opportunity to work in both the automotive and motorsport industries, which involved undertaking two six month placements at Renault Sport Formula One Team and then Nissan Technical Centre Europe.
During his placement, Jaden was pitted against his six INFINITI Engineering Academy colleagues over three challenges, as featured in a documentary broadcast in Australia by Fox Sports titled ‘Graduating to the Team’. Winning all three challenges, Jaden was awarded a coveted place on the trackside team at the 2017 Melbourne Grand Prix season opener.
We sat down with Jaden to discuss his experience on the INFINITI Engineering Academy and his passion for engineering and motorsport.
Jaden, there’s no doubt that your year-long placement would be the envy of many around the globe. What inspired you to apply in the first place?
Mechanical devices fascinated me from a young age and at 13, I started racing karts. I quickly realised that engineering high performance machines was something I was really passionate about. I worked hard to pursue my career goals throughout my education. In high school I created a hand control kit that enabled disabled drivers to race which was displayed in Sydney Powerhouse Museum. At university, I was heavily involved in Formula SAE.
When I saw the INFINITI Engineering Academy advertised online, I felt like it was an incredible opportunity to fast track my career to the pinnacle of motorsport technology.
What did the application process involve?
After the initial submission of my CV, cover letter and response questions, I received a video interview. As I was being called from the UK, my interview started at 2am, but I don’t think I’ve ever felt more awake!
The academy recruits one engineer from each market they operate:
• Asia and Oceania
• America
• Canada
• China
• Europe
• Mexico
• Middle East
After the video interview, the top ten competitors from my Asia and Oceania region were invited to the regional final, from which one winner was decided. My final was in Hong Kong at INFINITI HQ and was two intensive days of both group and individual assessments. Winning my regional final was an incredible experience.
What sort of responsibilities have you handled during your placement?
At Renault Sport Racing Formula One I was placed in Vehicle Performance Group (VPG), which is responsible for the mathematical modelling and simulation of the vehicle. Seven post rig, driver in the loop simulator and lap simulation all fall under the umbrella of VPG and are some of the most interesting tools in F1.
Within this group I worked in Performance Optimisation section, which prepare pre-event analysis using lap simulation. This enables the team to test new parts or setups in the virtual environment before the car even hits the track.
The tasks I performed were very dynamic given the short timelines involved. I became interested in further exploring tyre dynamics part way through my placement and I was fortunate to have a flexible workplace that enabled me to take on some projects with the Senior Tyre Engineer. One week I would be analysing data from the last Grand Prix and checking correlation, the next I would be working with R&D on experiments to analyse a new tyre heating strategy.
Since May, I have started my new job at Nissan Technical Centre Europe. I’m working in the Tyre and Suspension department and developing mathematical models and simulation of tyre performance. This has different motivations to the racing tyre, however the skillset required is similar.
What have been some of the top highlights from your placement so far?
The highlight of my placement has been my time as an Event Support Engineer at Renault Sport Racing Formula One.
Formula 1 teams are permitted to have only a limited number of engineers at the track, so many teams set up ‘mission control’ style rooms at their factories. These rooms have a live feed of telemetry data from the car and each event support engineer is connected to the trackside radio communications.
I conducted analysis that supported the trackside engineers during practice and qualifying, whilst during the race supporting the strategy department. It was incredible having such a close tie between my work and trackside operations. An experience that gave me unique insight was being part of trackside meetings via radio conference. In particular, I gained insight into the procedures and methodologies employed by the engineers at the track, how they communicate to each other and how they extract maximum information from the driver during debrief.
What challenges have you faced during your placement?
The biggest change was probably going from a Queensland summer to British winter!
Throughout the Academy, we have monthly meetings where we get together academy engineers from both the automotive and motorsport side. The goal of these is to find collaborations of mutual benefit between the two industries. This is a very challenging task given the different way both industries work. I believe the partnership between an auto manufacturer and a Formula 1 team can go much further than just stickers and marketing. INFINITI is making ground on this with collaboration now setup on hybrid powertrain development. I do sometimes pinch myself that I don’t even have my degree yet, but I am assisting in setting up high profile collaborations between the two companies.
In May, when I started work at Nissan it was admittedly quite a challenge to become acclimatised to the development cycle duration and the magnitude of a global company - it places even more importance on the engineer’s communication, adaptability and management skills.
Are there any aspects of your work that people might not anticipate?
I think a lot of people underestimate the sheer size of a Formula One team and how large the operations are away from the racetrack. Renault is a smaller team, yet still has almost 1000 people working on the one car. The workforce is divided between Viry-Châtillon in France (working on the power unit) and Enstone in England (working on the chassis).
Although 70% of F1 teams are based in England, many don’t anticipate how diverse and multicultural Formula One teams are. For instance, from the fifteen engineers I worked directly with, we spanned 12 different countries!
How were you chosen as the winner to attend the Melbourne Grand Prix?
The winner was decided over three challenges: The Simulator Challenge, The Hybrid Energy Challenge and The Performance Engineer Challenge.
The Simulator Challenge was to develop a car setup that Nico Hülkenberg drove in a F1 simulator. The test was our ability to debrief with Nico, find the issues with the car performance and make the appropriate changes. The engineers with the fastest four times progressed.
The Hybrid Energy Challenge challenged teams of two to use the least energy whilst still meeting a maximum lap time using two INFINITI Q50S Hybrids. It was a test of fast data analysis to familiarise with the car, course and coaching of the driver.
The Performance Engineer Challenge was held in Barcelona during the first shakedown of the 2017 Formula One car. Challenge aside, this was a very important moment for the team as the first feedback of the new car is reported. The challenge tested our observational and reporting skills as we presented a performance report at the completion of testing.
I believe all the years spent pulling apart engines or making all manners of contraptions in my grandfathers shed has given me a strong practical background which set me apart in these challenges.
Additionally, I was also commended for my personality and communication which I believe is an important message to young engineers. A lot of applicants will have the technical ability to complete the job, however it is the interpersonal skills that often make the difference.
Have you met anyone who has made a significant impact on you?
A fellow Australian, Chris Dyer, is the head of Vehicle Performance Group at Renault Sport Racing Formula One and mentored me during my placement. Chris has been a part of three world titles: two with Michael Schumacher and one with Kimi Räikkönen, as race engineer at Ferrari F1.
Chris was also pivotal in assisting me to setup a collaboration that will enable me to complete my undergraduate thesis on a project to contribute to the team. This was extremely fortunate given rarely does the team take on undergraduate thesis projects.
What are your plans for the future once the placement is complete?
At the completion of my placement in October, I will return to Brisbane to complete my final year of Mechanical Engineering at Queensland University of Technology. During this time, I’ll complete my undergraduate thesis on a project for Renault Sport Racing Formula One.
Beyond university, I am open to new, challenging experiences. I’ve found my area of interest in vehicle dynamics and I hope to pursue that in the future. In the current climate of motorsport, Formula One seems like the most obvious path. However, being 22, I cannot say for sure what path I will take – scary, but exciting!
You’re a young person from a regional area – what advice would you give others in similar situations who are looking to achieve great things for their futures?
I feel that my experiences can demonstrate to students from any background what is possible with passion and hard work.
I encourage other young people with similar goals or interests to think strategically about what they want to achieve, and draft it out. After identifying these goals, devise some intermediate steps and a timeline for success.
One of the most important pieces of advice I have received in my very short career is the importance of sharing your goals or ambitions with others. You never know what opportunities or contacts that other people might have for you. If people know your ambitions, and you back that up with commitment and hard work, they are likely to take an interest and want to support you.
Things are never going to go perfectly to plan, so take your failures in your stride and use them to your advantage. Those that truly do succeed are those that can reflect on their experience, whether it is a failure or a success, and evaluate what they could improve on.
Don’t let your aspirations eclipse your family and friends as you can most definitely do both. Their support will be essential to the longevity of the pursuit of your goal.