She may not be known to many people in the Australian motorsport community, but Simone Briggs is a name that Australians should remember for the future.
Currently in the final stretch of completing a double degree in Mechanical Engineering and Law, Briggs has managed to notch up a number of incredible experiences that some of us could only dare to dream about ever doing.
From playing a key part in an international competition winning organisation to undergoing an 11-month internship with Renault Formula 1 team, Briggs has built up quite the resume over the past few years.
Remarkably, she had little curiosity in motorsport and the automotive industry when she first went to Monash in 2013, but always had an interest in how technology can be used to help improve communities.
All it took was one experience - an integral role within the Monash Motorsport Formula SAE team, who went on to win the competitions in Australia, the United Kingdom and Europe – and Briggs’s life was changed.
“Formula Student was a pivotal experience because it set me on this motorsport pathway and was one of the earliest opportunities I had as an engineer to learn the whole process,” Briggs said.
“Before that I didn’t have an interest in cars. Mechanical Engineering was something I went into based on my maths and science abilities, but doing SAE gave me the chance for a first-hand motorsport experience and doing something hands-on.
“It helped me figure out I like to design and optimise things in the form of high performance products, as well as my interest in high end technology and its creative process.
“Going over to Europe with the team then gave me the opportunity to do some serious networking and build up connections, which eventually set me up with my first internship in Austria and then Renault."
Briggs was clearly impressive during her first visit to Europe with Monash Motorsport, securing an internship with Austria's largest independent powertrain developer, AVL.
At the internship, she left a great impression on many of the employees, because not long after, during Monash Motorsport’s winning trip in the UK, she was approached by Renault to interview for an opportunity of joining the team.
Briggs didn’t think twice about accepting, nailed the interview and was soon on her way to the UK again to work in Renault’s Aerodynamics Engineering team – something she never even considered six years before.
“The internship was amazing, especially working in aero engineering,” Briggs added.
“Because it was quite a small group, I always felt like a bit of a contractor because people were asking me to do challenging things that had an impact on the team’s development.
“It’s not quite as closely related to the car as a main design office, but there was much scope for creativity with that process and I was able to really own my projects with the wind tunnel, which would then have very tangible results on the car’s performance.
“Renault also gave me a lot of opportunities to get involved with other departments. I went in a few weekends to work on strategy and during race weekends, I monitored other teams’ radios in order to support our team in a minor way, which was pretty cool.
“I certainly hope that the internship leads to something more in the future. The problem with F1 is that everything changes so quickly and it’s difficult to forecast if there ever will be an opportunity. I just need to keep an eye out for when one does becomes available.”
The Victorian isn’t just determined to join an F1 team in the future, she is hopeful that she can continue to motivate young women in taking up engineering too.
Having been an ambassador in multiple
FIA Girls on Track (formerly Dare to be Different) workshops across both Australia and abroad, Briggs has always been a big advocate of helping women join STEM programs.
“The thing that is closest to my heart is creating diversity in STEM programs,” Briggs explained.
“After the Dare to be Different program in Australia, I actually did one in the UK where I had the chance to be Renault’s representative and I met some incredible women from other F1 teams, which was again good for networking.
“It was so rewarding to see these typical sorts of teenage girls, who may not have considered becoming engineers, get a kick out of small programs like STEM.
“We were building little hovercrafts and I walked them through the process and they got more engaged over time. Seeing their reactions when the projects actually worked was a really rewarding.
“A few of them came out of those workshops wanting to get more experience as they went through, It’s something that I love to be a part of.”
So whether it’s as a future F1 mechanical engineer or a high-end ambassador for women in motorsport – Simone Briggs is certainly destined for great things in this world.