A university student from the UAE has been awarded the career opportunity of a lifetime in Formula One following his selection as the UAE winner of the Infiniti Engineering Academy 2016.

23-year-old Shihab Solaiman from Abu Dhabi becomes is the first ever winner from the UAE in the programme. He was selected from hundreds of entries and beat nine other finalists from across the Emirates in an intense shootout event at the Dubai Autodrome.

Shihab will spend six months working at the Formula One team’s headquarters in Enstone and six months working at Infiniti’s European Technical Center in Cranfield.

With F1 Technology more relevant to the automotive industry than ever, he will play a key role in the ongoing transfer of technical knowledge and expertise between the Renault Sport Formula One Team and Infiniti.

The Infiniti Engineering Academy, now in its third year, is a one-of-a-kind global search for the world’s best up-and-coming engineers. For 2016 seven placements have been made available with one winner chosen each from US, Canada, Mexico, Europe, UAE, China and Asia–Pacific to work with the team.

This unique automotive-to-motorsport training programme for brilliant young engineers, possible thanks to Infiniti’s technical partnership with the Renault Sport Formula One Team, has attracted 4,108 registrations from 44 different countries. A number of previous winners have gone on to secure full time careers in the automotive and motorsport industries.

“The continued growth of this programme on both on a global and regional level is testament to how successful it has been over the last few years,” said Juergen Schmitz, managing director, Infiniti Middle East. “At Infiniti, we believe in initiatives that help us to actively engage with our wider community and the 420 registrations from the UAE this year is yet again a great indication of how well it has been received.”

After a series of interviews, 10 finalists were selected to attend a gruelling assessment day. They were put through their paces individually and as groups, by a panel of judges from Infiniti and Renault Sport Racing, including: David Moss, vice president, vehicle design and development, Infiniti Technical Centre Europe; Francesca Ciaudano, deputy general manager, marketing and PR, Infiniti Middle East; and Rene Torcato, head of R&D, Renault Sport Racing.

Shihab, a student of the the Petroleum Institute, said: “It’s an incredible feeling, I still can’t believe that I have won! All of the other contestants were extremely prepared and competitive. I now have to concentrate and do my very best to prove that I am a worthy winner, and make the most of this fantastic opportunity.” - TradeArabia News Service