From carbon fibre helmets to Franco Colapinto’s birthday — a week I’ll never forget
Last week I had the opportunity of a lifetime, spending five days on work experience at the Alpine F1 Team factory in their composites department. I came away with a finished carbon fibre helmet I made myself, a deeper understanding of what it takes to compete in Formula 1, and memories I’ll carry for a long time.
Monday — Into the composites department
The week started with a safety briefing and a tour of the facility before I was taken into the composites department to meet the team. I was introduced to the kit cutting area and the freezers storing the carbon fibre, and had the different types explained to me in detail — their properties, strengths and specific uses within the car. By the afternoon I was already hands on, using the cutting machine to produce a kit that would form the basis of a carbon fibre helmet.
Tuesday — CNC machines and lacquer coats
I moved on to the CNC machine, machining a model helmet from solid material. Once done I sanded it back to remove the machine lines, then sprayed it with a clear lacquer coat before it went into the oven at 70 degrees to cure. The level of precision involved in every single step was something else.
Wednesday — The autoclave, and a surprise announcement
Wednesday was a real highlight. I joined the laminating team and began laying
up the carbon fibre into the mould, building up the layers carefully before the part was wrapped and loaded into the autoclave to cure overnight. Later that afternoon I was invited to sit in on the post-race debrief following the Canadian Grand Prix — and watched Flavio Briatore announce the new Gucci partnership live to the whole team.
Thursday — De-moulding and a birthday in the cafeteria
The helmet came out of the autoclave and I de-moulded it, then spent time cleaning up the excess resin and tidying the edges. I also started laying up a model wheel ready for the autoclave the following day. At lunch, Franco Colapinto walked into the cafeteria and the whole place burst into happy birthday — a brilliant moment.
Friday — Finished helmet, race bays and Pierre Gasly
The final day was spent in the trim shop finishing the helmet — trimming, sanding, polishing and applying the graphics to produce a proper finished carbon fibre piece. I then got a tour of the race bays and was handed one of the steering wheels, which was a genuinely special feeling. Pierre Gasly happened to be nearby having a seat fit at the same time, which was the perfect way to round off the week.
This experience has only made me more determined to pursue a career in motorsport engineering alongside my racing. Huge thanks to everyone at Alpine F1 for being so welcoming and for giving me such an incredible insight into the sport I love.
Jack Bowie