Leah Penny grew up surrounded by engineering. Her mom encouraged her to learn about science, and Penny watched car racing with her father and grandfather.
Around Grade 7, she realized that field could be her career path. Next fall, Penny will return to Carleton University to continue her third year of studies in mechanical engineering, after spending a year in England working for Formula 1 team Red Bull Racing.
The Charlatan met with Penny to discuss her co-op experience, her passion for engines and her time working for a championship-winning F1 team.
TC: What did your journey towards your co-op with Red Bull Racing look like?
LP: I knew from the beginning of my degree that I wanted to do racing. In my first year, I joined the Ravens Racing Formula Student team, where we design and build a race car to compete against other schools. I got really involved, joined the team’s leadership and became the team’s powertrain lead, so leading the design of the parts that generate power and make the car move. That’s what sparked my passion for engines.
TC: So, what were you working on at Red Bull Racing?
LP: Next year, there will be new Formula 1 regulations for aerodynamics and power units. Red Bull will start making its own power unit in 2026, so I was hired to help design parts for the new power unit’s internal combustion engine.
TC: What did a day in your life look like?
LP: Usually, I’d arrive at work around 8 to 8:30 a.m. There’s a lot of investigating faults in the power unit or parts you designed where the manufacturer didn’t meet your specifications. The rest of the day was usually design work, so doing a lot of calculations and working with the simulation team to make sure your part performs well and is structurally sound.
A lot of the days were similar, but I worked on a bunch of different parts, so it wasn’t the same thing every day. The hours were pretty long — most days, I worked until 7 or 8 p.m., but sometimes I worked until 10 p.m., 11 p.m., or even midnight. I occasionally worked weekends too, so it was pretty busy.
TC: Yeah, that sounds really busy. So, what were some of the challenges you faced?
LP: The biggest challenge was adapting quickly because the co-op was very intense from the start. Once I learned the design process and got a few designs under my belt, it became a lot easier.
TC: Was there anything that surprised you about working there?
LP: How small the teams are. You’re working on the fastest, most technologically innovative racing in the world, but there were only 100 to 200 people working on the internal combustion engine, which isn’t a lot. It gave me even more respect for the engineers.
TC: Speaking of teams, how will your time at Red Bull Racing shape your experience with Ravens Racing going forward?
LP: I’ve worked on so many more projects now, so I have a lot more confidence in my design work. My co-op also gave me a lot of insight into how a high-performance team works, and I developed a lot as a person, which will help me a lot as I go back to Ravens Racing.
TC: What would you say to a younger mechanical engineering student who wants to pursue opportunities in motorsport but doesn’t know where to start?
LP: If you want to go into the engineering side of motorsport, design teams like Ravens Racing will get you lots of hands-on experience.
But there’s also many non-engineering opportunities within motorsport, like marketing, graphic design and social media. Whatever your interest is, there’s a space within motorsport if you work hard, keep trying and keep applying. Motorsport seems hard to crack into, but it’s definitely possible.
TC: What was your favourite memory from your co-op?
LP: Meeting and learning from experienced engineers, and meeting other placement students and people from around the world. It’s not just the job — I did a lot of traveling as well, which is really cool, and living in a new country was also a new experience. I really enjoyed all of it.
TC: Now that you’ve finished the co-op, what’s next?
LP: Finish my degree and then try to get back into motorsport — keep doing what I was doing at Red Bull.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Featured image provided by Leah Penny
