Grit, Grind, Glory: Inside Formula Manipal

Amidst the sound of welding, hammering, high-pitched drilling and the unmistakable smell of burnt metal and sweat, are a group of passionate students bound together by their shared love for engineering and motorsport. Built from the ground up by the students of Manipal Institute of Technology, Formula Manipal is one of India’s leading student engineering team that conceptualises and designs Formula-style race cars from scratch. Since its inception in 2007, Formula Manipal has stood for more than just building cars that push the limits of engineering and innovation. Beyond the commitment and resilience, it’s about how the shared weight of deadlines and sleepless nights turns a group of students into a family.

Apart from competing in the national version of Formula Student, called Formula Bharat, the team has proudly represented India in various other Formula Student competitions held in countries like Italy, Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Germany. Formula Student is a motorsport engineering competition where university students design, build, and race formula-style cars, judged on performance, design, and a business plan. In 2023, Formula Manipal stood tall as the only Indian team to qualify for the internationals, finishing 12th and 14th overall, a proud moment that put Indian student engineering firmly on the world map.

Over the years, the team has built 13 combustion vehicles and 4 electric vehicles. Each car is a culmination of months of research, multiple design iterations and their review, and countless hours in the workshop. From chassis welding to assembling circuit boards, every task demands precision and teamwork. Every mistake and failed task becomes a valuable lesson, paving the way to making a more reliable car. The team is structured into various subsystems (aerodynamics, vehicle dynamics, structures, transmission, electronics and controls, e-powertrain, driverless, and management), each specialising in critical areas yet working in sync like a well-oiled machine. For the team, workshop nights often stretch past midnight, with members huddled over their laptops, tightening bolts, or debugging the car, kept awake by caffeine and a collective dream- a shared determination to see their creation come alive.

Behind the carbon fibre and circuit boards is a culture of mutual respect and trust. Formula Manipal is driven by its people. Seniors mentor juniors, passing down not just technical skills, but also values and traditions that define the team. Long nights in the workshop are filled with laughter, frustration, and quiet determination, moments that shape and bring the team together.  In those late hours, where fatigue and frustration set in, and tempers run thin, the team shows its mettle, proving itself in the way they pick each other up and push through as one. It’s in those moments of perseverance that makes every hard-earned milestone all the more meaningful. Every milestone, no matter how small, is shared and celebrated. Somewhere in the blur of sleepless nights and the glow of computer screens, the team finds itself. What starts as a project ends as a memory of a family, etched into the hearts of those who lived it, with bonds that often last lifetimes.

Building on this foundation, 2024 marked a significant milestone for Formula Manipal as the team transitioned from a combustion team to an electric one.  Within 10 months of relentless work, the team manufactured and tested a fully functioning electric vehicle with an Emrax 208 motor. This achievement wasn’t just about building an electric car; it was about proving to themselves what was possible. In those 10 months, the team didn’t just meet expectations, they redefined them. They designed a custom vehicle control unit, developed a custom battery management system, manufactured a custom battery pack, implemented one-of-a-kind-dual chain drive transmission, and welded a brand-new space-frame chassis. Each of these innovations stood as a testament to the team’s technical excellence and their relentless pursuit to turn ambition into reality. The team’s debut as a fully electrical team in Formula Bharat 2025 was nothing short of impressive, finishing 3^rd in the nation and clinching a 2^nd place in the Statics event. Riding high on this success, the current team is now developing Formula Manipal’s first fully driverless car, while gearing up for the 2026 competitions with an electric vehicle. Because for Formula Manipal, the road never ends. Every challenge is just another corner to take at full throttle—engineered with passion, driven by a dream.

The Director of MIT, Dr Anil Rana, commended the efforts of Formula Manipal and commented, “Formula Manipal’s success at Formula Bharat 2025 marks a defining moment in student-driven innovation and reflects what we stand for at MIT Manipal – resilience, innovation, and a relentless pursuit of excellence. Their transition to an electric vehicle, backed by a best-ever podium finish, speaks volumes about their technical depth and future focus. More than winning, it is about perseverance, learning, and the unwavering MIT spirit.”