Rory McKinnon drove Highgate School onto the podium as the first British Formula E School Series was held in Battersea Park on Saturday.

Twelve schools from across the capital took part, with students aged 11 to 16 building and racing their own electric cars, learning hands-on engineering skills while experiencing the thrill of competing on the same inner-city street circuits as the stars of Formula E.

Colfe’s School student Luke Ide finished first after trading places with London Nautical School’s Harry Warren throughout the 20-minute race, but McKinnon ensured Highgate got a place on the podium.

The 15-year-old drove a measured race and taking full advantage of incidents that happened ahead of him to finish 9.71 seconds behind the winner.

“I was just watching these two fighting ahead of me and hoping they might take each other off,” he said. “I fell back from them towards the end because my batteries just weren’t as fresh any more.”

The FE School Series is run by UK-based charity Greenpower Education Trust, and their chief executive Jeremy Way said: “This was a fabulous way for us to end our first season as the official School Series provider.

“The racing was fantastic and the battle for the lead went right down to the wire.

“All of the schools, teachers and students who have taken part in the races we’ve run this year have been amazing.

“I hope the experience has been as brilliant and inspiring for the students as it has been for us and that it drives them on to consider engineering, particularly sustainable engineering, as a career.

“To see how all the students have taken the project to their hearts and thrown everything they’ve got into building, setting up and racing their cars, has been a genuine pleasure.”