- The program is once again filling all its places and maintaining its unique model that combines theoretical training and real-world practice.
- With students from seven different nationalities, the Master’s program consolidates its international reach and its appeal to engineers from all over the world.
- “The key to this training is that students understand from the very beginning how a race weekend works; they acquire technical knowledge, learn to coordinate with the team and make decisions under pressure,” says Jaime Serrano, CEO of Monlau Motul Technical School.
The Master’s in Motorsport Engineering at Monlau Motul Technical School has launched its 17th edition. With all 35 places filled, this unique program has become a benchmark for engineers seeking to specialize and steer their careers towards the elite of motorsport.
Over ten months and more than 350 hours of instruction at the facilities in Montcada i Reixac (Barcelona), students receive training that combines advanced technical knowledge, management and analysis tools, and, above all, constant practical application in a real-world racing environment.
This year, 68.6% of the students are from Spain, while the rest come from various parts of the Americas and Portugal. The Americas account for approximately 23%, with students from Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, and Ecuador. In total, seven different nationalities are represented, confirming the Master’s program’s prestige and its ability to attract talent from around the world to the Barcelona school.
The program maintains its characteristic practical structure, with track sessions and direct work with Monlau Motul’s racing teams in leading championships such as the FIM MotoJunior™ World Championship, TCR Europe, TCR Spain, Spanish F4, and the Spanish Karting Championship. These experiences allow future engineers to face real-world situations, manage real-time data, and coordinate work with drivers and mechanics using the same methods employed by professional teams.
New this year is the addition of specific classes related to big data applied to motorsport. “The inclusion of big data content reflects how the Master’s program evolves at the same pace as the competition itself. Our goal is for students to understand how to organize their work, how to interpret information, and how to transform all of that into useful decisions during a race,” explains Piero Celi , the Master’s program coordinator.
The faculty and speakers are once again comprised of professionals currently active in some of the most demanding competitions on the international scene. Among them are Mario Manganelli, with experience in Aprilia MotoGP™ and Mercedes F1™; Silvia Gaiani, materials expert and CEO of V System; Sergi Borrull, Race Engineer for the Yamaha Pramac Racing Team Moto2™; Daniel Gratacós, Dakar Rally champion with Peugeot and Audi and former engineer for Carlos Sainz and Carlos Sainz Jr.; Xavier Palacín, head of engine development for KTM Moto3™ and MotoGP™ and former chief mechanic for Álex Márquez, Fabio Quartararo, and Arón Canet at Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Moto3; Xavier Soldevila, Vehicle Performance Engineer for the KTM MotoGP™ Test Team; and David Simón, director of the Automotive Division at Monlau Motul and engineer at Dempsey Proton (WEC and ELMS). and Adrià Castilla, a Master’s alumnus and current engineer for Pedro Acosta at KTM Factory Team MotoGP™. They all share their firsthand experience of top-level competition with the students.
Practical training and direct access to the motorsport elite.
One of the program’s cornerstones is the development of the workbook, the Master’s core project. This technical document compiles all the vehicle’s information and prepares students to tackle a complete competition event: from pre-event preparation and track work to post-event analysis and the final report. In addition, there is a project focused on proposing new ideas and innovations for Monlau Motorsport’s sports departments, enabling students to contribute solutions to actively competing teams.
Since its inception, approximately 450 engineers have passed through Monlau Motul’s classrooms. Many of them now pursue professional careers in championships such as MotoGP™, Formula 1™, WEC, WorldSBK, and GT World Challenge. This is the best reflection of the impact of a program that remains true to its core philosophy: combining theory with practice and direct contact with competition.
“The key to this training is that students understand from the very beginning how a complete race weekend works. They not only learn technical concepts, but also assimilate the work methodology, team coordination, and how to make decisions under pressure, which is what they actually encounter when they join a professional organization,” says Jaime Serrano , CEO of Monlau Motul Technical School.
With a new cohort already underway, the 17th edition of the Monlau Motul Master’s in Motorsport Engineering is once again positioned as the starting point for engineers aspiring to work at the elite level of world motorsport.
