Senior Trackside Aerodynamicist

For almost 50 years, Williams Racing has been at the forefront of one of the fastest sports on the planet, being one of the top three most successful teams in history competing in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship. With an almost unrivalled heritage of engineering and racing F1 cars and unforgettable eras that demonstrate it is a force to be reckoned with, the British squad boasts 16 F1 World Championship titles to its name. 

Since its foundation in 1977 by the eminent, late Sir Frank Williams and engineering pioneer Sir Patrick Head, the team has won nine Constructors’ Championships, in association with Cosworth, Honda and Renault. Its roll call of drivers is legendary, with its seven Drivers’ Championship trophies being lifted by true icons of the sport: Alan Jones, Keke Rosberg, Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve. The team has made history before and is out to make it again with a long-term mission to evolve and return to the front of the grid.

About the Role

The wind tunnel and CFD tell us what the car should do. The track tells us what it actually does. As our Senior Trackside Aerodynamicist, you are the person who works out the difference. You will be responsible for the aerodynamic performance of the car at the circuit, turning track data into clear aerodynamic understanding and getting it to race engineering fast enough to shape setup decisions while the session is still running.

You will be part of the trackside engineering team and act as the principal link between the Aero Development Race teams. That means owning the quality and interpretation of trackside aero analysis, checking that surfaces, fit, sealing and configuration match specification, and working with the build team to resolve anything that does not. It also means making sure that what we learn at the track goes back into the development programme, so every race weekend makes the next car better. Expect to explain complex aero to engineers and drivers in plain language, often against a ticking clock.

As part of this role, regular travel and race attendance is required.

Key Responsibilities include:

• Owning trackside aerodynamic analysis across all race and test sessions, delivering conclusions within the running schedule
• Interpreting and presenting aero data to engineers and drivers to inform setup decisions and development direction
• Identifying aerodynamic limitations and quantify the lap time cost of each
• Briefing the race team on development items ahead of each event, including the expected gain and how it will be measured
• Improving track-to-tunnel and track-to-CFD correlation, and specify the instrumentation and on-track experiments needed to validate development items
• Developing trackside analysis tools and methodology, and define best practice for the group
• Acting as the point of reference for trackside aerodynamics, working with development aerodynamics, vehicle performance and race engineering to reach agreed conclusions

About You

You are someone who can take a large, noisy dataset and pull out a clear conclusion, then present it clearly and with the right level of confidence. You understand the trade-offs between aerodynamic, mechanical and tyre optima, and you know when a compromise on aero is the right call. You stay calm when the clock is running, and you can make a defensible decision and be honest about the residual risk. You build good relationships easily, whether you are talking to a driver, a race engineer or a designer back at the factory.

What we are looking for:

• A degree in aerodynamics, aeronautical or mechanical engineering, or a closely related discipline (equivalent demonstrable experience is welcome)
• Demonstrable experience in a race car aerodynamics or performance engineering role
• Previous experience in Formula 1 or another elite motorsport category
• Strong working knowledge of full-scale race car data acquisition hardware and software, and their limitations
• Proven data analysis capability in MATLAB, Python or similar, including building and maintaining your own analysis tools
• Willingness and ability to travel internationally throughout the race and test calendar

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Atlassian Williams F1 Team is an equal opportunity employer that values diversity and inclusion. We are happy to discuss reasonable job adjustments.