From campus to cockpit: Meet the Newcastle alumni leading the pack in Formula One
To celebrate 75 years of Formula One, and the release of F1 the Movie in cinemas, we are spotlighting just some of the Newcastle University graduates making a mark in motorsports.
25 July 2025
How Newcastle graduates are supporting the motorsports industry in 2025 and beyond
The 2025 calendar marks the 75th anniversary of the FIA Formula One World Championship. Beginning as a championship race in Silverstone, UK, today the competition sees events taking place all over the world - from Australia to Abu Dhabi! This year also saw the release of F1 the Movie, starring Brad Pitt and produced by Lewis Hamilton. To mark this momentous landmark in motorsports history, we’re shining a light on Newcastle University alumni working in all aspects of the industry and ensuring Formula One will continue to be around for the next 75 years.
Keeping Aston Martin on track
Amar Birdi (MEng Mechanical Engineering with Mechatronics, 2021) spent a placement year with Bentley Motors during his time as a Newcastle University student and was also involved in the Formula Student Newcastle Racing society on campus too. At Bentley, he was responsible for delivering a Model-based Systems Engineering pilot project to improve production economy and facilitate management of system complexity associated with electric vehicles.
After graduating, Amar joined the Haas F1 team as a Vehicle Performance Engineer, where he worked for over two years. Here, he helped develop MATLAB tools for vehicle performance and provided factory-based support to Trackside for informing setup changes.
In early 2024, Amar moved to the Aston Martin F1 team and is now based at Silverstone – which is still the home of the British Grand Prix! With Aston Martin, he is responsible primarily for testing Suspension, Brakes, and Tyre, but is also involved in other aspects of the car for ad-hoc development work.
Producing a pole position podcast for F1 fans
Kirsty McGregor (BA Hons English Literature, 2016) is the production powerhouse behind the award-winning Late Braking F1 Podcast, which covers all the latest news, race incidents, controversies and ridiculous moments in Formula 1.
The podcast launched in 2018, and Kirsty has been at the helm behind the scenes for the past two and a half years. Her remit includes editing episodes to be published, identifying standout material for social media channels and producing live shows for fans. The Late Braking F1 Podcast has published over 570 episodes since 2018, garners around 340,000 monthly listens and has a whopping 8 million lifetime downloads, which wouldn’t be possible without Kirsty’s hard work!
Turning dream car designs into a reality
Lisa Cann (BEng Hons Mechanical Engineering, 2017) spent her time on campus developing her engineering design skills and supporting the Formula Student team. Throughout her Mechanical Engineering degree, Lisa created a vehicle dynamics MATLAB model to calculate car lap time and developed a CAD project designing car suspension for the benefit of Newcastle Racing. She was also involved in a group project developing a power-assist device for manual wheelchairs, with the design being carried forward by the NHS.
Following the completion of a graduate scheme with industrial machinery manufacturer Parker Hannifin, Lisa joined the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team in January 2022. Here, she works in the Electronic Design Office, which sees the latest CAE and CAD technologies adopted to simulate, develop and design all parts required to build and operate race cars.
Steering the way to the ultimate F1 experience
Simon Steer (BA Hons Sociology with Classical World Cultures, 2009) has worked in the world of motorsports for over 15 years since he graduated from Newcastle University. Starting as an Events Manager at Senate Grand Prix, the motorsport hospitality company, he is now a Director responsible for providing a VIP hospitality experience for individual fans and corporate groups.
Senate Grand Prix specialises in providing F1 teams, drivers and sponsors, and a vast array of corporate and private clients, with the finest hotel accommodation and race-viewing hospitality for F1 races around the world. Today, Simon is responsible for providing an excellent experience to clients at the Monaco Grand Prix.
A winning trio on the podium at Williams Racing
Described as F1’s ultimate underdog, Williams Racing was established in 1977 by Frank Williams and Patrick Head. Over the years, the British Formula One team and constructor have welcomed Jenson Button, David Coulthard and Valtteri Bottas, to name a few, to their driving team. They’ve also been supported by a number of Newcastle University alumni to grow and succeed.
Claire Williams OBE (BA Politics, 1999) started her career in Comms and PR and progressed to become the youngest ever Deputy Team Principal in motorsports, supporting Williams Racing to overcome a difficult decade and lead the team to its best performances in over a decade, with third-place Championship positions in 2014 and 2015.
Benjamin Hale-Heighway (MEng Mechanical Engineering, 1998) has worked for some of the biggest names in motorsports throughout his career, including Honda Racing, Marussia and Pirelli Motorsports. He has worked for Williams Racing for the past decade and has substantial trackside experience alongside expertise in vehicle dynamics, tyre and performance analysis and simulation tools.
Emma Carden (BA Marketing, 2016) undertook a year-long placement with Porsche Cars GB during her time at Newcastle, working in their events team, and was part of the Red Bull Newcastle Wings Team in her final year on campus. She has worked in the Press Team at Williams Racing for the past 7 years, celebrating the team’s successes!
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