School pupils among first to play Minecraft F1 game

Students from Middle Barton Primary School were invited to Alpine's base in Enstone

A group of schoolchildren have become some of the first people in the world to play a new motorsport version of the smash hit video game Minecraft.

Pupils from Middle Barton Primary School in Oxfordshire visited the headquarters of Formula 1 team BWT Alpine to get a sneak peak of the new minigame.

It transforms the F1 team's base into the world of Minecraft, enabling players to explore the facility and learn about creating and racing a modern day Formula 1 car - all in 8-bit.

The game is part of Alpine's support for the Race into STEM campaign, which aims to get more women involved in motorsport, as well as provide educational content for young people.

The game is part of the team's Race into STEM scheme

It has been made in partnership with Minecraft owner, and Alpine sponsor, Microsoft.

In the game, players can interact with video-game versions of real-life members of the team - including its head of build and test, chief financial officer and team principal Oliver Oakes.

Away from the world of Minecraft, the real-life Mr Oakes told the BBC: "I guess when you're young, everyone just thinks of Formula 1 as the drivers really, but there's actually everything that goes into it - the engineering, the manufacturing and the processes, all those subjects you study at school.

"Hopefully from today they just got a feel for all the possibilities as a career path."

The schoolchildren were given the opportunity to explore at the F1 team's base

Also featured in the game is aerodynamics expert Paula Gutiérrez, who said it was "quite a funny experience" to see herself recreated in video-game form.

"It's great that we can put these events on and and let the children know what opportunities are available to them," she said.

The minigame is now available to play for free online on the Minecraft Education platform.

Alpine, which is based in Enstone, currently sit sixth in the F1 constructors championship.

The team experienced its best result of the season last time out in Brazil, with both drivers, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, achieving a podium finish.