A TEAM of students from Wilmington Grammar School are hoping their new Formula 1 team will be enough to see them speeding off to America.

Team RedShift F1, which comprises of students Dan Spiteri, Alex Headman, Ed Honey and Ben Jolly, has made it through to the national finals of the Formula 1 in Schools Technology Challenge.

If judges are impressed with the foursome’s project when it is showcased in London on March 15 and 16, they will be chosen to represent Britain at the world finals in Texas.

The team have created their own 21cm Formula One car model, which has been built from a block of wood and is powered by a compressed air cylinder.

They will be marked on their model, as well as a display detailing how they developed the car and a presentation to the judges.

Founder of F1 in Schools Andrew Denford said: “We’re experiencing significant growth in the schools entering the challenge this season and the standards are extremely high.

“The students had to cope with the nerves of presenting to a panel of judges and the pressures of putting their models to the test against the best of the region and all the teams put up a great fight, with only a few points separating the top contenders for a place at the national finals.”

A younger team from the same school have also found success in the competition.

Team Turbo Charged, which features students Samuel Webb, Ben Harvey, Brecon Hoadley, Morgan Filfield, Billy Moss and Prenavin Mudaly, will compete in the Bloodhound Class Finals for younger students.