Formula 1 Academy record points scorer on Wiltshire studies

Racing driver Rachel Robertson, 18, recently finished a Level 3 Motorsport Engineering course at Wiltshire College and University Centre’s Chippenham campus while competing around the globe in the F1 Academy with the Hitech GP team.

She said: "Through my first year, it was beginning to get a bit more busy in my racing life, and then in the second year I was going here, there and everywhere.

"But all of the lecturers and course leaders were super lenient and really understanding of that.

"They're all petrolheads so when I told them I could either try and make a due date for an assignment or be racing at a Grand Prix weekend, they understood the circumstances and made it all manageable for me, everyone was such a massive help and made it as smooth as they could for me."

Despite a packed race schedule, including rounds in China, Canada, and at Silverstone, Ms Robertson chose to see her studies through to completion.

She said: "I thought 'I've started it now, I don’t want to just leave it half done.'

"I was the one who chose the course, it’s not like anyone’s pressured me into doing it.

"I really wanted to do it for myself and now I’m happy I can say I’ve been there for two years, I’ve experienced it and I've done it."

With her professional racing career rapidly accelerating, Ms Robertson's journey began in karting before earning a scholarship with Radical Racing and Wera Tools to compete in the Radical Cup UK.

There, she drove a Radical SR3 XXR, a British-made, 232bhp sports car capable of reaching 145mph.

She later caught the attention of the F1 Academy, a female-only championship that competes across seven countries in three continents as part of the Formula 1 platform.

After scoring her first points at Silverstone with fourth and sixth-place finishes, she now hopes to secure a seat in Formula Three or GT racing.

She said: "You need an interesting story, and my background is definitely not a familiar one because I haven’t come from a racing family, and then you also need results on the table or to be able to show people the opportunity for results is achievable if they back you."

Ms Robertson said she will carry forward not only technical knowledge but also life skills gained from her time living and studying in Wiltshire.

She said: "I think I’ll just remember how much I enjoyed being with the people in my class and the lecturers."