Weingarten Team Interview

Amira Tamam

Introduce your team briefly.
We are a team of roughly 90 motivated students from Weingarten. We have different backgrounds and study various subjects such as mechanical and electrical engineering, management or psychology. What unites us is the goal to build three race cars (CV, EV, DV) and compete with like-minded students from around the world. The goal, which unites us, is to build the lightest four-cylinder car.

Tell us about your team’s history with Formula Student.
The Formula Student Team Weingarten was founded in 2007 by 10 – 15 students on their own initiative and competed for the first time in 2008 with a Combustion Vehicle (CV). Since then, the FSTW has become a permanent fixture among our university’s offerings, which are aimed at motivated and committed students from all degree programs. Starting in season 2017, there was an increased focus on lightweight construction and finally, through successive improvements, the FSTW built the lightest four-cylinder combustion vehicle in the history of Formula Student. But not only experience and motivation, but also the great support of RWU and our sponsors have led us to where we are today: A team with over 80 members from a wide range of disciplines, currently building three race cars and participating in several national and international competitions every year.

What does joining Formula Student Netherlands mean to you?
While we have competed in races around Europe, we are always trying to broaden our horizons. Joining FSN means that we are going new paths and widen our range of exciting racing events.

What are your main goals for this year?
Building three cars has been a major challenge, so doing the best we can at the events this year is the main goal for FSTW. Ideally, we would like to be part of the Top 3 overall.

What made you think of/choose FSN?
FSN is the last European event that’s missing in our collection and we would love to experience a dutch racetrack.

What makes you different from the other teams?
Our team’s current success is not solely a product of the innovative and determined work of the current team but builds on the achievements of former team members. We don’t just work together, we play together. Teambuilding and communal activities are part of our routine and even though the Corona pandemic has made this more of a challenge, we carry on with Online- and Corona-measure compliant Offline-events to stay connected in our free time.

What is your biggest achievement in Formula Student so far?
In 2019 we achieved 3rd overall and 1st place in the dynamic event Acceleration at FS Austria. In addition, we won 1st place in Cost & Manufacturing two years in a row and the 1st Business Plan. The same year we won the static events Business Plan and Cost Report at FS Spain.

Describe your car in three words.
Light, loud & unpredictable

How did COVID-19 affect your team and how did you deal with it?
As with most teams we were forced to make adjustments to our usual routines. Home Office has become a confirmed habit, limited amounts of people in our laboratory, office, and other facilities. We had to draw up a hygiene concept in order to be able to move on with our cars. All in all, it had affected our work routines immensely, but we have been able to adapt to the new challenges.

You can follow Weingarten team’s social media platforms for more information and updates:
https://www.instagram.com/fsteamweingarten/
https://www.facebook.com/FSTWeingarten
https://de.linkedin.com/company/formula-student-team-weingarten
https://twitter.com/FSTWeingarten?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtmjqFTucdySRyzfrfj6ZaA