In two and a half years, Audi will compete in Formula 1 for the first time with a power unit that Dávid Szegletes is also involved in designing. The young development engineer was prepared for this extraordinary task by his education in Vehicle Engineering and the student competition team of Széchenyi István University.

Audi announced last year that from 2026, it would enter F1, when the regulations will change significantly. The engine will still be powered by a V6 turbo engine, but the power output on the electric side will provide half 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 at the top of motorsport and has gained incredible popularity in recent years. One of the employees of the company's Formula 1 development centre in Neuburg is Dávid Szegletes, a graduate of Széchenyi István University last year, 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.

For Dávid Szegletes, the fact that the F1 show car with Audi Launch Livery was also exhibited at Audi's development centre in Neuburg is an extra motivation.

"I came from Nagykanizsa to Széchenyi University, which I liked as a high school student. In addition, I was looking for a city with a high level of industrial environment and that was  liveable, 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," recalled the young engineer, who also took advantage of the fact that the institution has student teams belonging to the world elite.

"Already in my second year, I joined the SZEngine Team, which deals with engine development in the Formula Student series, where I got acquainted with, among other things, the dynamometer application, the assembly of motors and the programming of the engine controller. The years spent there complemented my studies well. I was able to participate in the whole process: I designed the part, I also chose the manufacturing process, and then I had to deal with the finished part. In addition, all this was at stake, since the goal was to achieve the best possible result. I also travelled with the team to races, where we had to react extremely quickly to the many challenges that arose. I also learned a lot from that," he continued.

Dávid Szegletes owes the opportunity to work on the Audi Formula 1 project thanks to Széchenyi István University and his own dedication. (Photo: Márton Horváth)

Already as a student, Dávid Szegletes had a close relationship with Audi Hungaria in Győr. First, he was an intern in electric drive development, then, during his master's degree, he became a full-time development engineer of the company.

"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 employed, which was due to my work at SZEngine, and the fact that I wrote my Bachelor's and Master's thesis with the team. The former was a start programme related to the application of the start programme, and for the latter, I created a gearbox concept for the current SZEngine engine concept," 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's just as fast-paced as Formula Student. 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," he said.

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 Dávid 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 is the case or not, he is confident that Audi will fight for victories in Formula 1.