Trackside Talk: Life As A Mechanical Design Engineer (ft Matthew Wright)

In a sport where performance is measured to the thousandth of a second, mechanical engineers contribute by designing, producing and operating different parts of a Formula One (F1) car. 

While they don't get the spotlight on a race weekend, their work and expertise are crucial elements to a team's on-track performance. 

In this edition of Trackside Talk, we had a chance to speak with Matthew Wright, a Mechanical Design Engineer at Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains . 

Previously, Matthew completed a placement as a Research and Development Engineer with the Aston Martin F1 Team and was the Technical Director of the University of Birmingham 's Formula Student team (UBRacing). 

This article has been edited for length and clarity.

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Powertrains is a complicated term. Could you briefly elaborate on your contributions or role within the team?

Currently, I am working with a team as a mechanical engineer on the Energy Recovery System (ERS) — specifically the Motor Generator Unit Kinetic (simply known as MGU-K). 

Previously, I was also involved in designing the inverter. (An inverter controls the frequency of power supplied to an AC to control the rotation speed of the motor). 

As a Product Engineer, our day-to-day responsibilities include designing new parts and systems, conducting fault investigations to find the root cause and resolving issues that arise when testing our products. We work closely with the build, simulation and manufacturing engineers to create the best electric motors we can. 

It's never a dull day at work because we get to really dig deep into problems and challenge ourselves from an engineering perspective to optimise designs for performance and reliability.

How did you land your role as a Mechanical Design Engineer at Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains?

After my two-week work experience with Carlin Motorsports, I studied mechanical engineering at the University of Birmingham (UoB). During my time in UoB, I was heavily involved in their Formula Student project. 

Each year, I tried to get some work experience within the industry. One of my favourite memories from that period was a summer placement at Red Bull Advanced Technology. I worked with the Vehicle Science group on the Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercar programme and developed a novel aerodynamic analysis tool using MATLAB.

That opened the door for me to secure an industrial placement with Aston Martin F1 Team (it was Racing Point when I started). That year, I was with the Research and Development team. We focused on rig design, structural testing and data analysis. 

After completing my industrial placement, I completed my final year before joining Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains (Mercedes HPP).

I applied for a mechanical design role as I loved the creative challenge of understanding a set of requirements and delivering the best solution possible within a given time frame. The interview process at Mercedes HPP was challenging, but they have a way of being supportive — which helps to draw out our full potential!

Mercedes has always been a team that prioritises teamwork. How do you coordinate with the team and/or driver to contribute towards performance on track?

Mercedes F1 is a big organisation, but the driving force (if you’ll pardon the pun) that motivates us is our determination to win. 

We work closely with the race team to ensure that we provide them with the best power unit (PU). Mercedes HPP has a trackside team of engineers that closely monitors the PU during a race weekend and provides feedback on any issues back to the factory so they can be swiftly resolved.

We also have a trackside support office at the factory that has real-time communication with the circuit to optimise the PU's performance and monitor the live telemetry data for reliability. 

After each session, we rely on the feedback from George and Lewis as well as data from each race weekend to target future design changes and maximise reliability.

What’s the most rewarding part of your role?

It's the unique opportunity to regularly go from a blank screen to a fully functioning one in an unbelievably short period. 

Mercedes HPP does this particularly well as you really feel a strong sense of camaraderie amongst the various departments. 

Name three challenges you faced on the job and how you overcame them.

F1 is a high-pressure sport — there are often immediate and clear consequences when you fail to meet a target. The challenges I face are not unique, so I hope newcomers to the sport can take comfort in knowing that they are not alone in these challenges. 

Tight deadlines

It is a well-known fact that F1 is a fast-paced environment. This environment affects all aspects of the business. As for mechanical engineers, it generally means we work to strict deadlines and our project timelines can be very compressed. 

• Solution: Focus on the most important tasks. Talk with the team to let them know if you need support and maintain a sense of urgency without compromising on quality.

Complex design requirements

Sometimes, we face projects with extensive design requirements that can often be beyond our area of expertise. It forces us to come up with creative solutions to solve the problem at hand. 

• Solution: To tackle this, we leverage the diverse experience of our fellow engineers within the business to work on aspects of the project quickly and efficiently. 

Think of product engineers as the centre of a network — we outsource tasks beyond our expertise, like complex simulations or advanced material analysis, and then tie all the pieces together in the form of a high-performance part or product.

Technical obstacles

Occasionally, we encounter unexpected technical hurdles during the development stage. 

• Solution: As a team, we address these issues by breaking them down into manageable jobs and working together as a collective group to plan how we are going to solve the problem whilst respecting our deadlines. 

We know that F1 technology has been adapted to commercial use. What is one thing from F1 — or motorsport in general — you wished can be adapted for consumers?

Having worked on the Energy Recovery System (ERS) at Mercedes HPP, I would love to see the incredible innovations in electric motors that our team produces to be converted into a commercial product. 

In F1, we're adept at pushing the limit according to a given set of rules. The Advanced Technologies Group at Mercedes HPP has worked on some fantastic consumer projects, such as the Mercedes AMG One road car where its power unit was created with the expertise gained from F1.

Over the years, I expect more of the technology that we see in F1 to make its way into mass production of road cars — a process that I'm excited to see and be a part of.

F1 is looking to become a net zero carbon sport by 2030. As a mechanical engineer, what are your thoughts about the incoming regulations shift in 2026, which will rework the F1 powertrains?

As the world evolves, F1 should adapt to the changing times by reducing its carbon emissions. The change in regulations in 2026 is a crucial and exciting step towards F1's goal of becoming a net zero carbon sport by 2030, which I wholeheartedly support. 

It's extremely rare to see the sport undergo such a significant regulation change. From an engineering perspective, it will be challenging for all involved in delivering a PU capable of winning championships in this new era. 

On a broader scale, I hope that the changes spearhead the wider motorsport community to become more interested in sustainable technologies and to show that it is possible to perform at the top level whilst being considerate of the environment.

What’s one of your favourite F1 races?

It was the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix when Sergio Perez won the first race in his long F1 career. It was also the first win for the Silverstone-based Racing Point (now Aston Martin) team in over a decade. 

The race was special to me because I had the chance to support the strategy team in the mission control room at the factory. It was an incredible comeback for Checo after being wiped out in the opening lap —going from P18 to P1. 

I'll never forget the excitement and energy that everyone had after that race — an amazing reward for all the hard work and consistency. 

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This newsletter was written and edited by Hew Hoong Liang (Nathan) and Jonathan Khoo (I know: they both have similar names 🧐).

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