Alexander Uelhoff, CEO of STEM Racing Germany, joined the World eX Bizz Talk ahead of Round 8 at Silverstone and shared his unique perspective on the championship and STEM Racing’s impact on young engineers.
“I’m just right back from Singapore. Last week, we became vice champions with Germany. In 2023 and 2024, we won two times in a row,” Uelhoff recounted, highlighting Germany’s strong tradition and recent success in the World Finals of STEM Racing. He explained the close partnership with Formula One: “Internationally, it’s called STEM Racing, supported by Formula One, and formerly known as F1 in Schools. Now, after some discussions with Formula One, the headquarters and Formula One together decided it’s better when we get our own name and logo. We are now the fourth NGO officially supported by Formula One at the World Finals, and ten of the 21 special awards are directly sponsored by Formula One teams.”
On the size of the competition, Uelhoff stated, “It’s the biggest STEM competition in the world. Nearly 2 million students compete every year in their original finals, and only the best from every national final goes to the World Finals.” He provided insight into the technical complexity required: “At the world’s highest level, you need to mill these cars. They are not that big; you construct them with CAD systems, and then you manufacture them. But you also need to build your own race team – for students aged 11 to 19, minimum three, maximum six people – and manage everything yourself.”
Discussing the financial challenge, Uelhoff didn’t mince words: “In Germany, we are talking about approximately 40 to 50,000 euro for a team that they need to raise via sponsors to go to the World Finals. They need to pay flights, hotel, food, everything you could imagine.” He described his mentorship style: “I called all my German teams every two weeks to say, ‘What’s your plan now, what’s going on?’ If a problem comes up that they can’t solve, with their teachers or alone, then I can interact. But every team managed to get this budget by themselves.”
He spoke about his own journey in STEM Racing: “I competed in 2014, 2015, and 2016. After my A-levels, I was a judge in Germany for nearly four years. In summer 2023, I took over as CEO. My first World Finals was in Singapore, and I directly got one of my four German teams to first place, named as World Champion.”
Teamwork and volunteer support were also emphasized: “The oldest volunteer has been with the competition in Germany since its start. My race director, Vince, travels with me to the World Finals and is my race director at nationals and regionals. One of our friends, Martin, produces videos and documentaries for us, uploading them to his website and Racing TV – he’s been doing this since 2007.”
Explaining the entry requirements, Uelhoff clarified, “It would be best if the school supports you, but you don’t need a school in the background. Registration starts next week until the end of November. Students are between 11 and 19, with two other friends and one lead adult, 18 or older, to get involved.”
He underlined the intent and educational value: “We are the top level of STEM competitions in Germany. You need to do everything yourself. There’s a 25-page technical regulation you need to apply to the car – quite difficult, but it’s a great pleasure to participate in regional or national finals, even if you don’t win.”
On the propulsion system, he explained, “There’s a CO2 cartridge in the back. You roll it back, and there’s a needle; when the trigger is pushed, the needle puts a hole in the cartridge and the car goes forward. Safety is ensured by a tether line on the track.” Technical advice was straightforward: “Target the minimum weight. In Germany, it’s 55 grams for the whole construction. Get very good bearings, because good bearings roll best with the wheels.”
For testing, Uelhoff noted: “Some schools can test on their own race track – if you want to buy one, it’s about 15,000 euros. Otherwise, sometimes teams test their car for the first time at the championship, but many do CFD work and virtual wind tunnels.” On career opportunities, he said, “The World Finals is a picking stage for the real F1 teams. Every year, F1 engineers look for their next team member. If STEM Racing is in your CV, you might skip two or three hiring stages and go straight to a factory visit.”
