Allwyn's F1 Story Goes Beyond the Formation Lap

Most jobs in Formula 1 have nothing to do with driving the car.

That is the pitch that Circuit of the Americas makes to the children who live in the shadow of the circuit and in the surrounding Austin community. It is true, of course. Not only does the circuit itself provide jobs, but the Austin airport and booming technical infrastructure are being constructed daily in the area – largely influenced by the presence of the track itself.

The Del Valle ISD Education Foundation, which serves 12,000 students in the semi-rural district surrounding COTA, knows this fact firsthand, but similarly must address the issues plaguing its students – poverty, older students raising younger siblings, and the deportation of parents and guardians. This paints a picture of a difficult upbringing and future for thousands of Austin's children.

Del Valle ISD, alongside Allwyn, is rewriting that future. The school district has been named the Austin winner of the F1 Allwyn Global Community Award – a €100,000 donation from the multinational lottery-led gaming company. The money will fund Fast Track, a program built to overcome the exact challenges Del Valle youth face, taking them from the classroom into the racing, robotics, and manufacturing jobs at their very doorstep.

For a community that has spent years hearing the world's fastest cars from their bedrooms, it is a ticket inside, but more importantly, a ticket to a brighter future.

The Story of Del Valle ISD

"Historically a little bit neglected and forgotten," is how Executive Director Josh Thomas of Del Valle ISD Education Fund describes their community at the southeastern edge of Austin.

That started to change when COTA arrived... then Amazon... then the expansion of the airport. Robotics and advanced manufacturing plants followed. In theory, this brought jobs to the students' doorsteps. Getting to them? Learning that they exist? That's another matter.

Almost 90% of Del Valle students struggle economically, according to Thomas. About half come from families that do not speak English in the home. The district has no public transportation. Most of the families share a single car across the extended household. Something as simple as getting to a job interview, or even school, can be nearly impossible.

The foundation fills those gaps as much as it can. Scholarships, teacher grants, and a family support fund to cover missed rent or get power turned back on. Fast Track, however, is where the promised 'American Opportunity' comes in, not to mention that all of these support initiatives are entirely volunteer-led.

Why care? Why pour so much time into a community? Thomas had an answer. He gushed over the Del Valle children when asked what truly makes this community worth investing in.

"Bring the interviewers to school. Bring the training to school. Do it while they're here and I promise you, you're going to have an excellent employee who's gonna stay for a really long time. Our kids do not quit in six months [an industry standard]. Our kids are the kids where 'dad just got deported and now I’m in 10th grade and I have to support my family'. It’s not the minority, it’s the majority."
Josh Thomas, Del Valle ISD EF

Rising housing costs add pressure. He added that unless families can earn more- and yes, even the children- they will be priced out of this community. That is the true testament to the gap that Allwyn's €100,000 award will fill. Yes, it funds Fast Track, but with this choice of winner, it is funding the future of an entire community of Texans.

COTA is already a part of the model. Del Valle students are bused to the circuit's karting track, where they learn to change tires, address mechanical failures, and work with machines. Kate Strange from COTA spoke about their role in the community.

"Yes, we are a first-class venue, but first we are a neighbor. We have a responsibility to our community. Programs that were eight-week courses now run the full school year. Not just technical, but culinary and hospitality partnerships."
Kate Strange, Circuit of the Americas

Circuit of the Americas | Circuit of the Americas

That thinking has continued to scale this year in a tangible way. On the Thursday of race week, COTA hosted more than 7,000 sixth graders from across the region for a day built around motorsport careers, sustainability, and the women of F1 Academy. The long-term vision, according to Strange, is very pointed.

"A student who visits COTA or lives in the area at 12 could be working here or with Formula 1 at 22."
Kate Strange, Circuit of the Americas

Thomas already has an early version of a similar success story from Del Valle ISD. Last summer, two students interned at the Austin Airport, which is short on mechanics and within the district. These students didn't just complete their internship; they kept showing up after the internship ended.

Supervisors told Thomas that they were the first high school interns they had seen working at a truly professional level. This is yet another example of what Allwyn has invested in, not just monetarily, but with a global spotlight that matters just as much as a check.

Girlstart, One Year On

Del Valle is not the first, and certainly not the last, recipient of Allwyn's Global Community Award. Girlstart, last year's Austin winner, shows the real impact of €100,000 for children.

Founded in Austin in 1997, the nonprofit runs free after-school STEM programs in Texas, California, and Massachusetts alongside summer camps and a Girls in STEM conference. Their purpose? Empower young women and girls to pursue careers in STEM that are not often presented to them.

It starts with fourth graders, according to Girlstart's Shane Woods. After all, it is the age when self-determination is paramount and, according to Woods, 'when girls start self-selecting out of things'. Girls decide that a subject looks – not is – 'too hard' or that no one in that field looks like them, so it is not meant for them.

Pointedly, Woods shared that the Allwyn Global Community Award went toward supporting the growth of their programs. She added that Girlstart has "never turned a girl away who could not pay. Even for girls who cannot stay after school, the program can now offer them STEM kits to take home so they can take part.

The COTA track and F1 connections have even brought motorsport careers into view for the girls who live just minutes from the track. Alumnae are now at top institutions and credit the program for getting them there. Similarly to Thomas, the award simply has made the women of Girlstart and the young girls looking up to their mentors feel like they 'matter'.

"Being able to be proud. On a global stage, someone has heard of Girlstart and these girls are a part of that. To know that they're a part of something bigger. That has allowed us to continue to serve girls who are at after school camp and to increase the enrollment because the girls are excited to be able to have more experiences, and especially being able to provide scholarships."
Shane Woods, Girlstart

F1 GP United States - McLaren Allwyn | Courtesy of Allwyn - Hoch Zwei / Juergen Tap

A year on and Girlstart has received the infusion, in money and confidence, that is the clearest proof of what Allwyn's Global Community Award was built to do. Del Valle is simply next in a long line of success stories.

Allwyn's Purpose-Built Presence in Formula 1

Allwyn touches many pieces of the Formula 1 business. Yes, they fund Community Awards around the world – most notably this award in Austin- but their reach is more than that. As diminutive as it sounds... it starts with a lottery ticket.

The multinational lottery-led company runs national lotteries across Europe and is growing fast in the United States through PrizePicks. That isn't the story, though. What matters is that every ticket sold donates a portion to 'good causes' to the tune of over €4 billion yearly.

"Allwyn regularly contributes to good causes and donates approximately 4 billion euros every year, globally. Through our official partnership with Formula 1, we had the opportunity to act on our shared commitment to driving positive change and our passion for giving back to the communities in which we operate.

Together we created the F1 Allwyn Global Community Award and alongside local Grands Prix promoters, we now identify and reward community initiatives based on their local impact. Allwyn provides each Award winner with a 100,000 euro grant, and together with Formula 1 gives their organization a global stage to further their efforts."
Pavel Turek, Allwyn

Turek, Allwyn's Chief Officer of Global Partnerships, actually restarted a completed interview to share this piece in Miami months before Grand Prix on SI learned about the Global Community Award. It marks the passion behind their presence in a global sport.

It is the same intention that Allwyn has built its entire F1 presence around. As lead partner of the Formation Lap, it owns the minutes before lights out and a free-to-play Allwyn League with F1 Predict.

"At Allwyn, we always had a clear idea of where we wanted to activate our Formula 1 partnership, including during The Formation Lap. Not only is The Formation Lap a big broadcast moment, watched by millions of people at home, it aligns closely with our core values as an entertainment company. In three or four minutes, the drivers and fans experience the whole spectrum of feelings including excitement, tension, anticipation."
Pavel Turek, Allwyn

The goal of any company is to generate revenue, of course, but Allwyn has found a way to provide real value to F1 fans and the communities they reside in.

Del Valle ISD Education Foundation - Winning Image | Courtesy of Allwyn

For the communities living in the shadow of the Circuit of the Americas – Del Valle ISD, Girlstart – the value that Allwyn and Formula 1 have created will last far beyond the moment F1 teams leave the track. It is not dramatic to say that many lives can be changed through that one lottery ticket.

This article focuses on the F1 Allwyn Global Community Award and its recipients, and does not endorse or promote lottery, sports betting, or other gambling products.

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