Nida Accelerates Away

Nida, preferred pronouns they/them, wouldn’t want it any other way, as they’re dedicated to putting themselves in pole position for their dream job as an F1 mechanic.

“I am determined to pursue a future within the industry, with the ultimate goal of working as a race engineer at the highest echelons of motor racing,” says 19-year-old Nida. “I really enjoy working in such a high-pressure, high-stakes environment. I’ve been lucky to work with some of the best people in the industry already and it has taught me so much, not just in terms of becoming a better engineer, but also in terms of becoming a better person, too. Every day I spend trackside and in the paddock is an opportunity for me to learn new things and to develop my skills further.”

They are following in the footsteps of TV presenter alumna Nicki Shields, Class of 2004, who shares their passion for motor sports and is the face of Channel 4’s Formula E Championship, the electric street racing series. She has spoken openly about the challenges she has faced of being a woman in a world traditionally dominated by men.

Nida has also felt outnumbered at times: “Being the youngest person on my team, as well as the only person who isn’t a man, has been another challenge that I’ve faced during my current work. I can count the number of women in engineering roles within the GB4 paddock with one hand! While not seeing anyone like me was daunting at first, I’ve learned to realise my own worth as an Engineer by taking pride in who I am. I hope that my work in GB4 with Evans GP can show others that there's no limit to what they can achieve!"

While still at LEH, Nida won a place as a McLaren Racing Scholar in its 60 Scholars Programme, juggling time at the track with homework and revision. It gave them the opportunity to undertake an exclusive accelerated course of learning, mentorship, and experience with the team and its Official Partners; Google, Cisco, and Cadence.

Nida is now undertaking an EDT-Endorsed Year in Industry as a Research & Development Engineering Student with PCS Instruments, ahead of starting university in Autumn 2024. Later this year they’ll be working with Evans GP in the Formula Regional Asian Championship and Formula Regional Middle East Championship, as well as DW Evans GT for upcoming rounds in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia.

They add: “It’s been a busy few months, with lots of race engineering work all over the world, from the UK to Japan and Australia, working with Formula 4s, Lamborghinis, and S5000s. I’ve recently completed my scholarship with McLaren and now I’ll be doing more work experience with McLaren Applied and a few more Formula 1 teams.”

Nida also works in motorsport and automotive journalism as a Feeder Series’ F1 Academy Editor and freelance writer for Fortloc Experiences. And, as if that wasn’t enough, they’ve recently co-founded a company, called Motorsport Staff, which aims to simplify the pathway to motorsport careers.

“We’ve just launched our website, MotorsportStaff.com, where young professionals interested in getting a job in our industry can upload their CVs and apply for jobs. Think of it as a LinkedIn/Fiverr for motorsport! I’m in the process of developing more features, which is super exciting. I’ve also created a blog which will soon be filled with useful career tips and tricks, so watch this sppace!”

Proving there’s no such thing as too much horsepower, Nida is definitely on the right track for an adrenaline-fueled career and we will be cheering them on as they speed away!

If you are logged into your Holles Connect account you will be able to see a selection of photos of Nida in action below.