WHAT IS FORMULA STUDENT?
Formula Student is an international student engineering competition in which teams design and manufacture formula-style race cars, and then test their creations on track. Each year, more than 400 teams from all over the world participate in these competitions. Teams consist of university students from all programs, who are united by their shared interest in motorsport and innovation. The ultimate goal? To demonstrate how successfully a student team can go from a raw idea to a functioning race car that passes rigorous inspections and dominates on track.
THE ONLY LATVIAN TEAM
FS RTU is the first and only team representing Latvia in international Formula Student competitions. The team first competed in 2024, and since then has produced two formula cars and proven to be incredibly competitive. Right now, we are actively developing our third car, which will represent Latvia in three competitions across Europe this summer!
FROM SIMULATION TO REALITY
In Formula Student, participation is only allowed with a newly built car, meaning a completely new vehicle must be created every year. Before manufacturing, we use advanced computer simulations to predict aerodynamics, energy consumption, and suspension behavior. Then, students get to work turning their designed car into reality. This process takes around nine months, after which the team spends the summer traveling and competing internationally.
HOW TO QUALIFY FOR COMPETITIONS?
Alongside building the car, equally important work takes place behind the scenes. To even reach the track, teams must pass complex qualification tests assessing knowledge of Formula Student rules, engineering, physics, and logic. Places in competitions are strictly offered to the teams with the best results. Beyond that, a large volume of various documentation has to be submitted before each competition.
COMPETITION STRUCTURE
To win the competition, it is necessary to achieve the highest total score across different disciplines. The battle is fought on two fronts. Static disciplines evaluate our Business Plan, Cost and Manufacturing report, and Engineering Design presentation. Dynamic disciplines push the car to its limits on the track through Autocross, Acceleration, Skidpad (figure-eight driving), and Endurance events. It is the ultimate test of all parts of a racing team.