Lewis Hamilton might be the quickest Brit in Formula One right now but two maths students from a Hendon school were the fastest around the track at a unique national competition.

Andre Jenkins and Michael Caetano, of The Compton School in North Finchley, beat more than 100,000 other entrants to win the Jaguar Maths in Motion challenge.

The competition invites students to use their maths abilities to guide a Jaguar sports car around a virtual track.

Participants use maths skills to measure the length of the track, the angle of the bends and must consider other factors including fuel loads, tyre wear and speed.

The boys won a series of internal school races, regional heats and a semi-final before becoming champions at the British Heritage Motor Centre in Gaydon on June 26.

Year 10 student Michael said: “I really enjoyed the races, they are stressful but fun. The secret to our success was teamwork and pushing the limits, constantly adjusting our car to take more risks to make sure we got the maximum speed without crashing.”

The boys won iPads for themselves as well as a set of interactive voting pads for their school and Jaguar sent a car up to school this week for a photo shoot with the winners.

Maths teacher Joanna Lewis added: “This challenge is a fun and engaging way of getting students using maths in context as well as building teamwork skills. 

“I was absolutely thrilled when we qualified for the final.  Winning is a fantastic achievement. It was such an exciting day and I am so proud of the boys.”