Jake Boxall-Legge

Meet Jake. Jake used his automotive engineering degree from Herts to pursue a career as a motorsport journalist. He is now a Formula One Writer for Autosport and Motorsport.com.

A love for motorsport

Jake is a self-proclaimed motorsport devotee and has been since he was young. When it came to deciding what he wanted to do with his career, he knew it would focus on motorsport engineering.

Jake applied for Herts’ BEng (Hons) Automotive Engineering with Motorsport course through clearing and says, ‘When I was choosing the university I wanted to study at, Herts had everything. Expert tutors, an interesting course, and it was close to London.’

Getting involved in UH Racing

One of Jake’s fondest memories from his time at Herts was being involved in UH Racing, one of the UK’s most successful Formula Student teams. Jake recalls, ‘It was a brilliant experience to be able to compete against dozens of other universities at Silverstone for Formula Student. So many people from that UH Racing team went on to achieve great things after they graduated, with many of them working in motorsport or the wider automotive industry.’

Jake continues to keep in touch with many of his old flatmates and people from his course, and he has been able to catch up with some of them at industry events such as the Autosport International Show.

Combining two passions

Jake was able to combine his engineering degree with his passion for writing and is now the Formula One Writer for Autosport and Motorsport.com. Jake says, ‘Before I became a professional journalist, I wrote a few bits and pieces for a friend’s Formula One-themed website, just for the fun of it. I then started doing sporadic freelance work for Autosport, focusing on technical content like explaining upgrades to modern Formula One cars.

‘After a year of doing public relations for Formula Two, Autosport asked me to become their Technical Editor full-time. The knowledge I gained during my degree at Herts, being able to understand the nuts and bolts of why Formula One engineers do what they do, was vital to this.

‘I’ve since moved away from that role and now cover Formula One in its entirety, but my technical knowledge still helps me add detail to the longer-form pieces I write.’

Jake’s advice

‘Some of the best advice I can give is to enjoy your first year, join some societies, and work smarter – not harder.

‘Also, try to eat well and learn to cook some basic recipes if you move to campus. Explore the local area too, including St Albans.’