Formula 1 racing offers an exciting, real-world backdrop to bring STEM education to life for students. With its high-speed challenges, cutting-edge technology, and data-driven strategies, Formula 1 engages students by making science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) more relevant. Even if your students aren’t naturally curious about STEM, using Formula 1 themes can help fuel their interest and curiosity, especially for Grades 3-8 students.

What Is Formula 1 and Why Is It Great for STEM Education?

Formula 1 (F1) is the highest class of international auto racing, known for its fast cars, skilled drivers, and advanced technology. But it’s more than just a race — it’s a high-tech engineering competition where data, physics, and cutting-edge technology back every decision.

Formula 1 provides an ideal framework for teaching STEM concepts in an exciting, hands-on way, helping you bring subjects like aerodynamics, data analysis, and engineering design to life.

Formula 1 STEM Applications for Grades 3-5

For younger students, Formula 1 provides an engaging way to introduce fundamental STEM concepts like speed, forces in motion, and energy. These hands-on activities will help you capture their imagination.

Reaction Time

In Formula 1, the race starts with five red lights—first one comes on, then two, three, four, and finally all five. When all the lights go out, that’s the signal to go! Racers must press the gas pedal at just the right moment, because if they go too early, before the lights go out, they get a big penalty. Races can be won or lost by how fast they react, so they practice their reaction time over and over to be the quickest off the line!

 

Activity Idea:  A simple reaction time activity for elementary students is the "Ruler Drop" game. Have one student hold a ruler vertically between their fingers and thumb while another student holds their hand just below, ready to catch it. Without warning, the first student drops the ruler, and the second student tries to catch it as quickly as possible. Measure how far the ruler falls before being caught—the shorter the distance, the quicker their reaction time!

Make learning even more exciting by integrating Play Piper’s Reaction Game Mission! Using the Piper Make Base Station or Starter Kit, students can build a starting light system with 5 LEDs that light up in sequence. They'll code the lights to turn off after a random time, and measure how fast they can press a button after the lights go out. But if they press the button too early, before the lights go off, all the lights will blink, showing that they jumped the start! Learn more about the Reaction Game Mission here.

Speed

Formula 1 racing helps elementary students understand the formula for speed (distance ÷ time) by showing how fast cars travel around a track over a set distance, with the speed changing based on the time it takes to complete each lap. By comparing lap times and distances, students can see the relationship between speed, distance, and time in an exciting, real-world context.

Activity Idea:  Have your students build a race track with a start and finish line, then measure the distance between them. Using a stopwatch or phone app, time how long it takes for each student to run from the start to the finish line. Record the time in a notebook or computer, then have the students calculate their speed by dividing the distance by the time. The result will be their speed!

You can integrate Play Piper’s Stopwatch Mission for a more advanced and engaging activity. Using the Piper Make Base Station or Starter Kit, students can build a Timing System, helping them learn to measure speed using real electronic inputs, and write code that calculates the Speed algorithm automatically.. Timing systems are used in racing and many other industries like manufacturing, bio-med or entertainment.  Learn more about the Stopwatch Mission here.

Forces and Motion

Formula 1 cars are driven by the forces of physics — motion, friction, and gravity all play key roles. This makes F1 the perfect topic for helping your students understand these basic principles.

 

Activity Idea: Have your students design balloon-powered race cars to explore force, motion, and energy transfer. After building their cars, students can race them and discuss how reducing friction or adjusting the car’s design affects speed.

You can integrate Play Piper’s Beam Break Mission for a more advanced and engaging activity. Using the Piper Make Base Station and Beam Break Widget, students can measure the time it takes for their cars to pass through the beam, helping them learn about speed and distance calculation in real-time. Through experience and engagement, they’ll learn about velocity, acceleration, kinetic energy, potential energy, force, and momentum.  Learn more about the Beam Break Mission here.

Measurement and Data

Introduce students to basic data collection by measuring the distance and time each car travels. Students can compare their data, create simple graphs, and draw conclusions about their car designs.

STEM Concept: Teach students how to collect and interpret data — an important skill for future data analysis activities. The Car Race Mission from Play Piper provides a great follow-up activity to help students explore the relationship between speed and time. They can use sensors to time how fast their cars travel and then analyze the data to determine which design performed best. Check out the Car Race Mission here.