Prestigious podium finish for Tipperary students in the F1 in Schools 2024 Ireland Finals

Gaelcholáiste Chéitinn Chluain Meala took a well deserved third place in the Lenovo F1 in Schools 2024 Ireland National Finals held at the Kemmy Business School at University of Limerick on May 31, hosted by Creative Hut.

The four Clonmel students were among 150 students in 21 teams who competed in the National Finals, making it the largest Irish National Finals to date in this All-Ireland competition that is growing in stature each year.

The winning team was Blitz Racing from Marist College in Westmeath, with second place taken by Increvex from St Brigid’s College in Loughrea, county Galway. Revolution Racing from Gaelcholáiste Chéitinn Chluain Meala in Clonmel took third place in a very competitive event. 

The official education challenge of Formula 1, the F1 in Schools competition sees participants design, make, and race miniature F1 cars, with teams assessed across a variety of areas - including car speed, engineering quality, brand identity and verbal presentation skills. 

The teams were presented with their awards by Tom Milner, UK Project Manager of F1 in Schools, and will now progress to the global stage of the competition, competing against F1 in Schools students from across the globe at the Aramco F1 in Schools 2025 World Finals, an event which is held annually alongside an international F1 Grand Prix.

The Gaelcholáiste Chéitinn Revolution Racing also won a separate Project Management award at the competition. The Clonmel students were also judged to have put together the Best Portfolio in the competition. So all and all it was a great entry for the four girls.

Ella, Team Manager of Revolution Racing, who came in third, finished: “There's been such an amazing atmosphere at the event and it feels amazing to have made it onto the podium - we really didn't expect to do so well and the competition from the rest of the teams was so high that it was a total shock when our name was announced. We're now focused on making sure our car is the best it can possibly be for the Aramco F1 in Schools 2025 World Finals, and will be spending a lot of time testing and perfecting it!"

Tom Milner, UK & Ireland Project Manager at F1 in Schools, said of the event: "This year's Ireland National Finals was a brilliant event. University of Limerick made for a fantastic venue, and the energy and excitement from all the teams, visitors, and judges was truly infectious - it created an incredible atmosphere on the day. The level of talent and standard of work on show was incredibly high, and we'd like to congratulate all who took part, as well as Blitz Racing, Increvex and Revolution Racing for making it through the Aramco F1 in Schools 2025 World Finals - we can't wait to see how they perform at the event!"