Former Formula One mechanic Marc Priestley will be sharing his experience with students at Cornwall College.

Marc, who was head mechanic at McLaren F1 and is now a TV presenter, will be making a pit stop to talk about his career and how even small changes can make a big difference, in a bid to inspire the students on engineering, manufacturing, technology and marine courses.

The conference has been organised by engineering students from the Higher National Certificate and Foundation Degree students.

It will take place next Thursday (January 22) from 9.30am.

Marc said: “I’m really looking forward to the event in Cornwall, a place I’ve always wanted to visit. Helping SMEs [small and medium-sized enterprises] to develop and to understand some of the ways in which Formula One teams are successful as businesses, as well as sports teams, has played a more and more significant role in my work over the last few years.

“I’ve assisted a number of organisations across a wide variety of sectors from telecommunications to investment banking and many in between.”

Marc was head mechanic at McLaren F1, spending ten years as a member of the pit crew, working with drivers including Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button, Kimi Räikkönen, David Coulthard and Fernando Alonso.

Coming from a sport where millions of pounds are spent shaving hundredths of a second off lap times, Marc will be talking about how, by focussing on small steps to improve efficiency and quality, businesses can bring about significant change.

The event is sponsored by The Cornwall College Group’s Business Innovation and Knowledge Exchange (BIKE) programme and will focus on how businesses can use technology, knowledge and skills for the development of new products.

Anyone interested in attending can find out more and reserve their place online at the Eventbrite page by searching ‘Cornwall Engineering Industry Event’ https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/engineering-industry-event-tickets-14893555024