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In two and a half years, Audi will compete in Formula 1 for the first time with a power unit. Dávid Szegletes, a fresh graduate from Győr’s (northwestern Hungary) Széchenyi István University is also involved in designing. The young development engineer was prepared for this extraordinary task with the help of the vehicle engineering training and student competition team of the university.
Audi announced last year that it would enter Formula 1 from 2026, when the regulations will change significantly. The engine will be powered by a V6 turbo engine, but the electric side will provide half the power of the entire unit. Another important step is the transition to sustainable fuels.
The German brand is already gearing up for its team’s debut in the top of motorsport and has gained incredible popularity in recent years. One of the employees of the company’s Formula 1 development center in Neuburg, Germany is Dávid Szegletes, a graduate of Széchenyi István University, who considers it a dream come true to work there. Of course, his success is not due to chance, but to his own work and the fact that he took advantage of the opportunities offered by the institution in Győr.
“I came from Nagykanizsa to Széchenyi University, that I liked as a high school student. In addition,
I was looking for a city with a high level of industrial environment and livable, not crowded like Budapest. The proximity of Audi was also attractive in Győr. I completed my vehicle engineering bachelor’s degree in Hungarian and the master’s degree in English,”
said the young engineer, who also took advantage of the fact that the institution has student teams belonging to the world elite.
“Already in my sophomore year, I joined the SZEngine Team, dealing with engine development in the Formula Student series, where I got acquainted with, among other things, the dynamometer application, assembly of motors, the programming of the engine controller. (…) I also traveled with the team to races, where we had to react extremely quickly to the many challenges that arose. I learned a lot from that,” he continued.
As a student, Szegletes had a close relationship with Audi Hungaria in Győr. First, he worked as an intern in electric drive development, then he became a full-time development engineer, already during his master’s degree.
“Within the company, open positions were advertised for the Formula 1 project last year, which I saw as a ‘once in a lifetime opportunity.’ I was very happy to be hired…” he detailed.
The former student started working in Neuburg in January as a development engineer. “As a powertrain component constructor, I mainly deal with selector mechanisms. I really enjoy it, it is just as fast-paced as Formula Student is,” he noted.
“It is an extra motivation that Audi Sport Racing is also located here, there are a lot of cups on display, race tracks are painted on the sides of the building, and race cars sometimes appear on the test track next to us,” said Dávid Szegletes abut the development center in Neuburg. Photo via Facebook/Audi Sport
Audi still has plenty of time as the brand will be on the grid for the first time in two and a half years, certainly with a power train that includes the work and ideas of Szegletes. The Hungarian engineer has already decided that if he had the opportunity, he would also try himself as a race engineer and would love to travel from grand prix to grand prix with the speeding circus. Whether that will be the case or not, he is confident that Audi will fight for victories in Formula 1.
Featured photos via Hancz Gábor