ǰα

Christopher Handsley – BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering

Chris Handsley posing at P&J Live
With a passion for all things mechanical and a family history in engineering, 20-year-old Christopher Handsley is not only graduating with a first-class honours degree but also doing so with an offer to continue his studies in the motorsport industry.

Christopher, a former pupil of Cults Academy in Aberdeen, left school after completing his fifth year, having successfully achieved the grades needed for his chosen course. This essentially allowed him to ‘skip’ a year and get a head start on a career that appealed to him for many reasons.

“My dad is a lifelong engineer, but what really drew me in was my own fascination with the ins and outs of all things mechanical. I’ve been repairing and servicing my bikes since I was about 10 years old, and with a strong ability in mathematics and physics during secondary school, engineering felt both attainable and genuinely interesting. The mechanical engineering course gave me a solid foundation for a wide range of jobs, while also providing the knowledge to branch into different disciplines later in life.”

Christopher credits his time at university with helping him grow as a person, student and leader, particularly through his active involvement in the .

“ǰα Motorsport Society, and in turn, ǰα Motorsport, have provided an incomparable amount of enjoyment throughout the years. I first started out at ǰα Motorsport Society, working on our 1989 Formula Ford race car, where I led various sub-groups within the team, such as carburettor and suspension.

“Following that year, I was elected as the Team Principal of ǰα Motorsport Society, where I restarted our IMechE Formula Student team, ǰα Motorsport. This is a student-led team where fellow students design, test and develop a race car for the IMechE Formula Student competition, which is presented each July at Silverstone.

“In 2024, ǰα Motorsport proudly placed second among Scottish teams in our first entry since 2022. I’m incredibly proud to have played a key role in making that success possible. Our 2025 challenger, the R25e, is currently in development, and we’re on track to improve on previous performance, thanks to growth in both team membership and sponsorship support.”

Christopher is eager to pursue his appreciation for motorsport further and has received a conditional offer to study Advanced Motorsport Engineering (MSc) at Cranfield University later this year.

Christopher adds: “I’m undertaking this degree to bridge the gap into the motorsport industry, whether that be Formula 1, WEC, IndyCar, or beyond.

“I strongly encourage anyone who is considering a career in motorsport to get involved with a Formula Student team. One of the key benefits is that the knowledge and practices you gain, especially in areas like design, testing and teamwork, are often not covered until much later in university, and even then, not at the same level of depth or practical application.

“I’d also like to acknowledge and thank Scott Murison, Engineering Applications Supervisor from the School of Computing, Engineering and Technology, for his unwavering support and guidance to both myself and ǰα Motorsport throughout my entire time at ǰα.”

Now an official graduate of ǰα, Christopher is preparing to enter the next phase of his motorsport career and reflects on the key lessons he’s taken from his time at the University.

He said: “ǰα has been crucial in my development. Both the university and the course taught me that no problem is unsolvable, and that hard work is essential to success. The hands-on elements provided by ǰα helped me and my peers gain a deeper understanding of the theoretical material, ultimately producing more competent engineers.”

Cookie Consent