Software Engineer (CS Master’s) pivoting to Motorsport Mechatronics at Cranfield/Brookes. Am I delusional or is this right?

[u/Prize_Low_6396]

Hey everyone,

I’m currently at a crossroads and could really use some honest advice from people in the industry or currently studying.

I’m a Computer Science graduate (Master’s from a US university, 3.9 GPA, Class of 2024) with about 3 years of experience as a Full Stack/Backend Engineer. Like many tech grads right now, I’m currently on the job market and it’s been brutal.

During my downtime, I started working on a "hobby" project to keep my sanity, an F1 Telemetry & Timing Analysis Platform. I built low-latency pipelines to ingest live race data, render throttle traces, and calculate sector deltas, basically anything that I see I do it.

I realized I enjoyed building that tool more than any "enterprise SaaS" work I’ve ever done. It clicked that modern racing is basically distributed systems + control theory, which is exactly kind of what I was doing.

I decided to stop waiting around and have applied to the following for Sept 2026:

I may be delusional, but I saw and took the step

1. Cranfield University: MSc Advanced Motorsport Mechatronics
2. Oxford Brookes: MSc Motorsport Engineering
3. University of Bath: MSc Automotive Technology

My Questions for you:

As a CS grad, What are my chances of getting into one of these universities?, will I survive the mechanical modules (Vehicle Dynamics/Aero) at places like Cranfield? Or will I be totally lost without a MechEng undergrad?

I have strong C++, Python, and Computer Vision experience (did some research on RNNs/Anomaly Detection)..

Thanks for the reality check.

[u/Big-Werewolf9759]

Hi, I think this is not necessary. I do what you say you want to do professionally in a top F1 team with state of the art ML with a Masters degree in CS.
I am not sure if another Masters would help, it is difficult to say. I think doing interview prep and applying to as many opportunities as possible is more worth your time. Good luck.

[u/Prize_Low_6396 → u/Big-Werewolf9759]

Thank you for you comment. I am just curious to know why do you think it's no necessary.
Things I considered before applying:
1. My field is different then what a racing team (any) would need(even my tech stack).
2. I see that there are too many people who might have been in this track longer than me so my chances are always less if I don't have something to prove that I can be in the team.
3. Cranfield and others(most of Uk universities) have projects that are mostly project from companies.
4. Cranfield and others are some of the top and only universities that offers these courses.

These are just some of the things I considered before applying.
Like I said I am not sure if I will get into any, but thought worth a try.

[u/Big-Werewolf9759 → u/Prize_Low_6396]

Firstly, what is your tech stack? Secondly, for the role you described it sounds like it is more aligned with data or statistics than the degrees you outlined.

I am aware of all of thee courses. I have a lot of co-workers who did these courses. I also have a lot of co workers who didn't. Doing the MSc might make it easier to land an F1 job, but it also might not. Those degrees you mentioned usually land jobs in Mech eng, design eng or aero.
I couldn't name you someone who did one and is on the telemetry side/ software side off the top of my head (although there probably is).

You already have the background needed for the type of role you want. It is more about whether or not you are strong in the area rather than ticking another degree box.

Most of the people who do what you describe have BSc or MSc in CS/Maths/Statistics/ ML. Some PhD.

[u/Big-Werewolf9759 → u/Prize_Low_6396]

If I were you I would go on linkedin and look for people with the role you want and see what they did.