They are too young to compete in a Formula One (F1) race, but perfectly qualified to design and build a model F1 racecar. This week twenty-four teams of students ranging from 11-18 years of age, from across the world, gathered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to compete in the finals of the Formula One Technology Challenge.

The competition known as "F1 In Schools" was started in 1999 by British engineer Andrew Denfor, who wanted to encourage more kids to study engineering. Today 29 countries participate with 9 others waiting to join in. This year over 10,000 schools and colleges competed at the regional and national level and the numbers are only expected to grow.

The F1 technology challenge is a competition where teams of between 3-6 schoolchildren enter to design and manufacture model versions of carbon dioxide powered Formula One cars. Kids aged between 11-18 have to manage the whole process as a real business project.

The teams have to design a prototype of a real Formula One racecar, be able to find sponsors to fund the production of the car and race and explain the cool features of the car to a panel of judges.

The specifications of the exterior of the car and engines are subject to strict rules that all teams have to follow. The exterior of the car has to be made of balsa wood and can have either plastic or aluminum wheels. The teams use state of the art computer software programs to help them test the designs, just like real engineers.

The winning team is judged by various criteria; by it's display area, speed of the car on a 20-meter track, an eight-minute presentation, tough question and answer sessions with the judges and a 20-page presentation to explain their invention in more detail. The overall winner receives the World Title Award.

This year's winner was Team Pulse (pictures of team and car above) from Britain. It took the team of four boys about two years to build their winning F1 model. Their efforts paid off as all four received Engineering Scholarships at City University in London and a chance to attend the Malaysian Grand Prix and mingle with famous Grand Prix Drivers. Two Australian teams won the second and third prizes. What a cool competition! To read more about it check out: http://www.f1inschools.us/

Sources: IHT, Telegraph.co.uk, www.f1inschools.us/