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Concordia grad living the F1 dream

Ralph Koyess is a vehicle performance engineer at Renault Sport F1 in the U.K.
October 19, 2016
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By Leslie Schachter, BA 03, GrDip (journ.) 13


Many young people imagine becoming involved with the Formula One World Championship car racing circuit — just like Quebec’s Jacques Villeneuve. While driving for an F1 team may be out of reach for most, there are other routes to make it into that world.

Ralph Koyess, BEng 09 Ralph Koyess, a vehicle performance engineer at Renault Sport F1, is a former president of the Concordia chapter of the Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineers. | Photo: Renault Sport F1 Team

Ralph Koyess, BEng (mech.) 09, found one such path. Today Koyess is a vehicle performance engineer at Renault Sport F1 in Enstone, United Kingdom.                                      

The 29 year-old recently served as a panel judge at the Infiniti Engineering Award contest held in Montreal in August. Koyess, who was the U.K. finalist in an equivalent contest six years ago, took a few moments to talk about the competition, his experience at Concordia and his love of F1.

Can you share a bit about yourself?

Ralph Koyess: “I’m Lebanese-Canadian — I’m Canadian but my family is originally from Lebanon. I was born in Saudi Arabia but I’ve lived all over the world.

I did my bachelors in mechanical engineering at Concordia, and then I did an MSc in motorsports engineering and management at Cranfield University in the U.K., after which I was hired by the Renault Formula One team just over six years ago.

As a Vehicle Performance Engineer, I carry out computer simulations of our F1 cars which allows us to test out new design concepts and to predict a car’s behaviour before a race.”

How did you get involved in F1?

RK: “Formula One has been my dream since I was a kid, so it was always a plan of mine to work in the industry. When I was studying at Concordia, I found out that the best way to get to F1 was to do a master’s degree, and the most reputable degree in the industry was the one that I did at Cranfield.

What really helped me was the fact that my thesis subject was about F1 engine simulations which was very relevant to what I wanted to do and to what I do now.”

The Renault Sport F1racing car The Renault Sport F1 racing car | Photo: Renault Sport F1 Team
How did you become a judge in the Infiniti Engineering Award contest?

RK: “Infiniti and Renault are part of the same group of companies, so we do a lot of work together, including the Infiniti Engineering Academy. They wanted F1 representation at the event as it attracts a lot of interest, particularly from students.

The contest itself is global in scope ­— they have finals in countries all over the world — and they select a winner from each region including Canada. Given that I’m Canadian, that I lived in Montreal and studied at Concordia and that I was the U.K. finalist in a very similar contest while I was a student at Cranfield, I was the obvious choice to be a judge for this competition.”

How did your experience as an engineering student at Concordia help you achieve success?

RK: “There are two main things that really stand out from my experience at Concordia that helped me achieve everything I’ve done so far.

The first was being involved in extracurricular activities. I was the president of the Concordia chapter of the Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineers. We organized educational, social and networking events, and it really helped me build my character. I continued my involvement in clubs and societies when I went to Cranfield, but it started at Concordia.

I was also part of CIADI [Concordia Institute of Aerospace Design and Innovation], which helps the top engineering students secure summer jobs in the industry. Through CIADI I got placed at Rolls Royce in Montreal and then NASA in Cleveland, Ohio, and that really helped me with my future studies and career path.”

So what kind of car do you drive?

RK: “I drive a black BMW Z3 roadster — it’s a fun little car to drive!”

 

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