Natália Gogolová
"The people and the history of Williams Racing are unique and what they’ve achieved as a small family business is incredible. I felt like a part of the team from the first day."
Where did you spend your placement?
At Williams Racing in the Heritage team, which looks after a vast collection of Williams Formula 1 cars.
How did you get this role?
I was very interested in working in F1 so applied to a number of positions and was invited to an interview at Williams Racing. I’m from Slovakia and, although I’ve now been in an English environment for four years, speaking the language can still be challenging and I wondered if other candidates did better for that reason. However a few days later I got a call from my now manager offering me the position!
What did you learn on placement?
I learned so much. I experienced working with many departments and got to know over 200 people. My transferable competencies like teamworking improved the most, but I also gained design skills and learned about practical engineering.
What was your proudest moment?
One of my proudest moments was when we ran one of our heritage cars at the Goodwood Festival of Speed – the FW14B with Nigel Mansell himself driving! It was an event we worked towards for months and seeing it all go well made me feel proud for our entire team.
The other was being recognised for my work contributions during my placement with a ‘Brand Ambassador’ award which I was presented with during Williams Racing’s Early Careers Awards night.
What’s the atmosphere like at a race?
While fans are all around you and there’s a great sense of excitement, as a team member you have to be fully focused on your specific role and ready to react to any problem or unexpected situation. The most important thing is to be calm: you’re representing a racing team and the cameras are always on you.
Natalia receives a Brand Ambassador award at Williams Racing's Early Careers Awards.
How long have you been an F1 fan?
I’ve been a Ferrari fan since I was little and my first memories of F1 are from the times of Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher’s battles.
I now have another favourite team and will always support Williams Racing. The people and the history of this team are unique and what they’ve achieved as a small family business is incredible. I felt like a part of the team from the first day.
Discover our courses in mechanical engineering sciences including our BEng (Hons)/MEng Automotive Engineering and BEng (Hons)/MEng Aerospace Engineering.
