THEY might give the likes of Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton a run for their money one day.

Children at Lindley Junior School showed they had Formula 1 fever when they raced their own miniature creations.

The scheme saw 120 pupils investing hours in designing and making their own F1 cars.

And it has proven so popular that the plan is to make it a permanent part of the school curriculum.

The Year 5 pupils began working on the project in their classes late last year.

They used special 3D computer-aided design software called SolidWorks to make the race cars.

The classes then held presentations and decided which designs they wanted to use to create a successful racing car.

They worked with Salendine Nook High School to make the cars out of balsa-wood.

A team from the high school recently reached the national finals of the Formula One in Schools contest.

The junior school teams spent the day racing the cars around a specially-built 10 metre track.

Their efforts were judged by a panel.

This included members of Salendine Nook’s design and technology department and school governors with backgrounds in architecture and design.

The winning team, named Speedy Spices, was presented with a cup.

Children from all the other years in the school also held their own races, with cardboard cars powered by balloons.

Year 5 teacher John Crosland said:“We have done this before and it’s always been extra curricular with a smaller group selected to take part.

“This time we decided to rejig the whole curriculum with the children doing it as part of our DT provision.

“The children love it as it’s for a real purpose and not something you normally do as part of school lessons.”