Created: 2026.03.05. 13:52
For Formula 1 fans, it comes as no surprise that Audi will appear on the grid for the first time at the Australian Grand Prix on 8 March. What may be less widely known, however, is that a number of Hungarian professionals – graduates and current students of Széchenyi István University – are working within the new team. Győr is therefore not only one of the key bases of the four-ringed brand, but also an outstanding location in terms of engineering talent development for the world’s most popular technical motorsport series.
The Audi Revolut F1 Team will make its Formula 1 debut at the Australian Grand Prix on March 8. Behind the drivers, a large team of engineers is working tirelessly toward success. Among them are several professionals who earned their degrees at Széchenyi István University in Győr or are currently enrolled there.
The Formula-1 team of Audi at the test in Bahrein (Photo: Audi Revolut F1 Team)
Beatrix Sipos arrived at the University in Győr after graduating from the Vetési Albert High School in Veszprém. She emphasizes that she owes much to her studies there, including her bachelor’s degree in Mechatronics Engineering, her master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, and her specialization in Applied Mechanics. As she explained, it had been her childhood dream to work in Formula 1 one day, which is why she was already employed full-time as a development engineer during her studies. She achieved her goal at a young age and now works as a simulation engineer for Audi’s Formula 1 team.
“Together with my colleagues, we are responsible for ensuring that our components can withstand operational loads without damage. This means that during operation they must exhibit mechanical behaviour — such as displacement caused by vibration, thermal expansion, or deformation after assembly — that meets the specified requirements. We use FEM, or finite element method, to carry out the necessary analyses virtually and through calculations even before the first physical part is manufactured,” she said, summarizing her field of expertise. She added that she greatly enjoys her work, which opens up the technical world to her in a broad and inspiring way.
Beatrix Sipos, a former student of Széchenyi István University, is a simulation engineer for the Audi F1 Team (Photo: Audi Revolut F1 Team)
Máté Matuska, originally from Mezőberény in Békés County, also completed both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Széchenyi István University in the field of Vehicle Engineering. “I still apply what I learned on a daily basis. I mainly use mathematics and physics to evaluate simulations, while my knowledge of drivetrains helps me understand and further develop the car’s performance,” he explained. During his studies, he was a member of the Arrabona Racing Team, which competes in the Formula Student series. In addition to manufacturing composite components, he worked primarily on lap time simulation. “This was where I became truly engaged with this professional direction, and I have been working in this area ever since,” he underlined.
He first worked at the Győr plant of Audi Hungaria as an intern and later as a full-time employee. Subsequently, he served as a performance simulation engineer at a motorsport company in Vienna. “There we prepared vehicles for the American Pikes Peak hill climb, and I was also involved in the development of an electric NASCAR car, as well as supporting a junior team competing in the European Rally Championship as a race engineer. Last summer, I moved to Germany, where I now work as a performance simulation engineer in Audi’s powertrain department,” the young professional outlined his career path. He is also a lecturer in the Motorsport Engineering master’s programme at Széchenyi István University. He highlighted that his responsibilities have evolved in that, in Formula 1, he now works with hybrid powertrains rather than purely electric systems. For students aspiring to a career in technical motorsport, he recommends joining a renowned brand as an intern in order to demonstrate their capabilities and potentially secure a full-time position.
Máté Matuska works as a performance simulation engineer at the newcomer in Formula One. The former student of Széchenyi István University is now also a lecturer at the Institution (Photo: Audi Revolut F1 Team)
A perfect example of this path is Anna Szakonyi, a vehicle engineering student at Széchenyi István University. Last year, she entered the world of Formula 1 as a project management intern with the historic Sauber team. Since then, the team has undergone transformation and now competes as Audi in motorsport’s top category, while the student from Győr has advanced from intern to full-time employee.
She graduated from the Zrínyi Miklós High School in Zalaegerszeg before earning her first degree in international business administration at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. It was there that she first became involved in technical motorsport by joining the TU Vienna Racing Team in the Formula Student series. These experiences played a decisive role in her decision to continue her studies in a technical field. She stated that choosing the University in Győr had been the right decision, as she receives significant support in balancing her studies with her Formula 1 work.
“I will soon complete all my exams, and my thesis is also in preparation, based on further development of the research I presented last year at the National Scientific Students’ Associations Conference. At the same time, I am naturally focusing on my work, as I serve as a junior project manager for the Audi team making its Formula 1 debut. I am responsible for the car’s floor assembly, coordinating processes from design planning all the way to delivering the component to the race track. It is a complex and specialized task that requires close cooperation with numerous other departments to ensure everything is completed on schedule,” she said offering an insight into her daily responsibilities. She advises fellow students interested in this field to begin by joining student teams—an opportunity for which Széchenyi István University provides outstanding possibilities, whether through SZEnergy, SZEngine, or the Arrabona Racing Team.
Anna Szakonyi, junior project manager of the team, is currently also a student at Széchenyi István University (Photo: Audi Revolut F1 Team)
