What Formula 1 taught me about the internship hunt

My internship "contract" last summer at IW Group.

It’s silly season — for students.

If you’re a Formula One fan, you know exactly what I mean. For everyone else, here’s the breakdown:

Silly season is the most chaotic time of the year in Formula 1. It’s when teams and drivers scramble to negotiate contracts for the next season. Deals are uncertain, tensions are high and no one’s future feels guaranteed.

Sound familiar? Because right now, a lot of students are going through their own version of silly season — the scramble for spring and summer internships.

When you’re in college, this season doesn’t involve paddocks or pit stops, but it does involve hours on LinkedIn, scrolling through job posts, commenting on recruiters’ updates and sending cold messages to professionals with the hope that one might spark a spontaneous opportunity.

It’s stressful. You spend weeks (sometimes months) applying for positions that feel like long shots. You tailor your resume to each posting, refresh your inbox too many times a day and still find yourself waiting in limbo for that one subject line that could change everything.

The "paddock" I stayed in last summer for my internship at IW Group.

Meanwhile, classes, assignments and extracurriculars don’t slow down — they pile up. You start comparing your progress to everyone else’s highlight reel on social media and wonder if you’re behind. Trust me, you’re not. You’re just in the middle of your silly season.

If you’re feeling stuck, here’s my advice:

Find 30 minutes to sit down, open your laptop and apply to one role that genuinely interests you. Don’t overthink it. Don’t let that posting sit untouched in your saved jobs tab. You’ll never know what could happen if you don’t hit submit. Every application, every email, every recorded interview is a step closer — even if it doesn’t feel like it right now. The more effort you put in, the more opportunities you create for yourself.

We’re all mass applying, recording interviews and anxiously waiting for replies — all while balancing school and trying not to lose momentum. The uncertainty is exhausting, but it’s also part of the process.

As someone going through this myself, here’s what I’ll say: everything happens for a reason. Some things are out of your control, but a lot still depends on you. Keep showing up. Keep doing the work. Keep believing that the right opportunity will meet you halfway.

Because just like in F1, the silly season always ends — and when it does, the grid is full, the contracts are signed and the next chapter begins.

So don’t let one rejection get you down. Keep your head up, stay in the race and finish your silly season with a contract in hand.