The 22 students in the first intake, which includes even numbers of male and female students, are using CATIA design software and learning aerodynamics and engineering formulas.
Five Year 9 students make up Ashcroft's F1 Challenge team, TRS.
Dennis Nguyen, Reece Williams, Nguyen Hoang, Sandy Le and Corrina Baars will compete at the National Finals, to be held in conjunction with the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne in March.
F1 in Schools is an engineering and design action-learning project for students, implemented in high schools around the world.
Teams of three to five students from grades five to 12 use industry level, three-dimensional CAD/CAM and simulation technologies to design, analyse, test, manufacture and race miniature CO2-powered, balsa wood Formula 1 cars.
Each year, student teams progress through a series of regional, state and national finals, with the best teams from each country competing for the F1 in Schools World Champions title.
Australia is a world-leader in the F1 in Schools program, with an enviable history of success.
The REA is sponsored nationally by the Defence Materiel Organisation.