Are you interested in entry level jobs in motorsport careers? This guide from youth-friendly motorsport engineering recruiter VHR tells you what the motorsport industry is REALLY like. Let’s bust those Formula racing career myths!
Ready to find out what misconceptions people can have about motorsport careers? These FAQs could change your perception of the industry.
Motorsports careers ARE exciting – and they’re for EVERYONE. Not just the lucky few.
The world of motorsports is an exciting and competitive industry involving vehicles and motor racing. It’s always thinking about the future by investing in new technology and innovations, and is full of a variety of career options that can take you around the globe. However, many people have the common misconception that such a unique and skilful industry means that career paths are only open to a lucky, highly trained few.
There’s more to motorsports careers than Formula 1 and NASCAR races
Get ready for the VHR automotive recruitment specialists to show you what it’s really like to work in the world of motorsports. PLUS: see what to expect if you choose to explore this career path.
Do you have to get into a motorsport career from a very young age?
Age is not a barrier to motorsports.
Motorsports is an industry that can be heavily televised – think of all those Formula 1 and NASCAR races you have seen. The view of these young drivers and technicians might make you think that the world of motor racing is full of young personalities and that you may have missed your chance to enter the industry. However, the reality is that it is open to anybody who wishes to enter.
It is true that when looking for the next wave of motor racing talent, drivers are scouted by the industry from a very young age and grow their career by competing through their childhood. For example, Lewis Hamilton, one of the most successful Formula 1 race car drivers of all time, started his driving career at just 8 years old! He was signed onto a Young Driver Support Programme at age 13 to train and develop his skills, one day to become world renowned with many titles under his belt.
But not everybody gets an amazing opportunity to enter the industry like this. You may have missed out on becoming a famous F1 driver, but motorsports is full of exciting careers that don’t have an age limit.
Remember that no matter your age, gender background or experience, you can find a vocation for you. Whether this is in engineering, design, testing or even aerodynamics, the industry will be continuously recruiting for determined talents like you.
Are all motor racing careers glamorous?
Exciting and satisfying? Yes. Glamorous? Not always!
The thrilling world of motor racing on TV can lead you to believe that a career in motorsports will be an incredibly glamorous life. A huge amount of money is poured into the sport and its globetrotting competitions involving expensive, high quality vehicles. The Formula 1 and NASCAR races on TV might make you think that everybody in the industry has fun and exhilarating time. While this is true, you don’t often think of the reality behind the scenes. To pull off such amazing events, many people are putting in long hours of training schedules and preparation.
Competitions may be international, which can mean you spend a lot of time travelling and working on tour away from home. Working in so many countries with different climates and systems means lots of planning for any possible outcome. Other factors like weather, people, and emergencies on different tracks around the world means that lots of different job roles are developing strategies and innovating current systems in place to ensure that everything is the best it can be before, during AND after the races.
It takes a lot of hard work to be in the motorsports industry. Not all motorsports jobs are glamorous, but the challenging roles will always be rewarding and make the energy you put into your motorsport career path worthwhile.
Are motorsport careers well-paid? Do you learn a lot of money in the motor racing industry?
Don’t expect to become a millionaire. But… you could become half a millionaire. One step at a time…
Many people who have completed specialist university courses or done a motorsports apprenticeship may think their knowledge is a one way ticket to a high earning role in motorsports.
However, you probably won’t get a generous salary as soon as you enter motorsports, despite your experience. Like in any other industry, people have to work their way up the ladder to earn a salary worthy of their role and experience.
With hard work and determination, you could eventually earn a six figure salary for your expert skillset. That’s over half a million pounds a year!
Do you need expert skills to start your motorsport career?
You can build skills with time. Maybe you CAN become an F1 technician one day with your mechanic skills, even if you’ve never got under the bonnet of a racing car before.
Many young people dreaming of a Formula 1 career in motorsports worry that they don’t have the skills for their dream job.
Youth-friendly employers VHR are a technical recruitment agency handling motorsport careers, especially in engineering and the mechanical/design side of things. They often hear from people who want to work in motorsports but worry that their skillset might not be the exact match of the skills needed to become an F1 technician.
Keep in mind that skills are transferable and everybody has a chance to grow.
With the skills you have and continue to build with time, you could become, say, an F1 technician. Then again, you might learn about lots of other amazing motorsport career routes, and find your career moving forwards in a slightly different direction. You might gain huge career satisfaction from taking on slightly different roles in motorsports to the ones you had pegged as ‘dream jobs’.
You can learn and gain experience through your time in motorsports and aim to enter your dream role through growth. Your skills do not have to be a barrier to the industry unless you let them be exactly that!
What is the difference between motorsport careers and automotive careers? Are they the same?
Motorsport careers are about innovation and performance. Automotive careers are about regularity, stability, and working with suppliers and investors. They are not the same – but many skills and interests are shared!
You may think that because the world of motorsports and the automotive industry both involve vehicles and teams who design and build them, then they must be incredibly similar to work in. The reality is that these industries can be very different.
The good news is that automotive skills (like mechanical or engineering skills) can be transferable to the motorsport industry. However, soft skills like passion, determination, and the ability to work hard will still be ever important and a decisive factor. The constant analysing and innovating to better your work will be incredibly fast paced!
For example, in the automotive industry, you may find that you receive more regular, stable work. You will have many requirements and arrangements with suppliers and investors to ensure that vehicles are suitable for the road and wide use. The motorsport industry’s first priority is performance (along with safety too, of course). However, your budget and ability to innovate can be unlimited with significant investment into the industry to ensure you create award winning products for important worldwide events. The fame and reputation of these events means standards are exceptionally high. Your teams vehicle needs to be an award winning machine worldwide – think of all those expert competitors!
In a motorsport career will you only get to see celebrity drivers on the TV? Will you ever meet your heroes?
Oh, race car drivers are DEFINITELY part of the team. They spend a lot of time with the whole team, from engineers and designers to technicians…
Lots of people find the inspiration to have a motorsports career from watching their favourite driver on TV. It may be your dream to meet a driver who has inspired you one day! You might think celebrity drivers would never hang around the technical team. Maybe you think that with an entry level job in motorsport you would get to glimpse drivers on the screen while doing your job. In fact, most people in motorsports get to meet the celebrity drivers.
Race car drivers are part of the team and are some of the best people to share views about how successful the new models of race cars are. They are driving them competitively around the track after all! Teamwork is essential in motorsports and the driver needs the best possible support from everyone in the team. Close communication is important to ensure vehicles are world class and the most efficient they can be for the safest and best possible racing experience. From motorsport technicians who work with hydraulics to engineers who work with speed and efficiency, and even the people who design the seatbelts, there is always a likely opportunity to meet your hero.
Is there any room for young talent in motorsport careers?
The industry is always creating new roles and recruiting for upcoming talent to innovate and similarly to any other sector, your personality and approach to the role is a big deciding factor. No matter your skillset, the industry is always looking for focused, fast-thinking people who are determined to grow successfully through experience.
Some ways that young people can get into motorsport careers
- Want a motorsport engineering career? As a foundation, aim for good GCSEs (or the equivalent) in English, Maths, Science and other engineering-friendly subjects like IT.
- For a hands-on practical approach, consider doing a BTEC. Sometimes you can mix and match BTECs with relevant A-Levels and follow up with a university foundation course or degree.
- Taking the degree route into motorsport careers? Look out for motorsport engineering degree courses at participating universities. You can often combine this with a year in industry to get hands-on experience for your confidence and motorsports engineering graduate CV.
Motorsport engineering is not a guaranteed career path to race driving. They are VERY different. But they are both satisfying… and fast-paced.
There’s no denying that the motorsports industry can be a challenging and hectic world to work in so resilience is sought after in applicants. The ability to carry on and be flexible in difficult or stressful situations is vital to the industry.
