Nikolas Tombazis ( el, Νικόλαος Τομπάζης; born 22 April 1968 in Athens,

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

) is a

racing car Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...

designer who has worked in

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

since 1992 for the Benetton,

McLaren McLaren Racing Limited is a British motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor, the second oldest active team, and the second most successful Formula ...

, and

Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car ...

teams. Tombazis graduated with a degree in engineering in 1989 from Trinity College at

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

followed by a PhD in aeronautical engineering from Imperial College London in 1992. In November 1992, he became aerodynamicist at the Benetton Formula 1 team and was promoted to Head of Aerodynamics in 1994. Three years later he moved to the Scuderia Ferrari, where, in 1998, he became Head of Aerodynamics and CFD. In 2004 he returned to England to work with McLaren, where he started working in a similar position and later being promoted to Head of Planning. In March 2006, he was back at Ferrari, this time as Chief Designer. He left Ferrari on 16 December 2014. On 15 January 2016, the Manor Formula 1 team appointed Tombazis as its chief aerodynamicist. Following the closure of Manor, he set up his own consultancy, called MAA, and has been a visiting professor of aerodynamics for Imperial College London. On 6 March 2018, it was announced that Tombazis has joined the FIA to become its 'head of single-seater technical matters'.

Career

*1992–1993: Benetton Formula aerodynamicist *1993–1995: Benetton Formula chief aerodynamicist *1997:

Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari S.p.A. () is the racing division of luxury Italian auto manufacturer Ferrari and the racing team that competes in Formula One racing. The team is also known by the nickname "The Prancing Horse", in reference to their logo. I ...

aerodynamicist *1998–2003:

chief aerodynamicist *2004:

chief aerodynamicist *2005:

project chief director *2006–2014:

chief designer *2016-2017: Manor F1 Team chief aerodynamicist *2018–present:

FIA FIA is the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (English: International Automobile Federation), the world's governing body for all forms of motor sport where four or more wheels are used. Fia or FIA may also refer to: People * Fia Backs ...

Head of Single Seater Technical Matters

Personal life

Tombazis lived in Castelnuovo Rangone (Modena) together with his wife and four children. He then moved to Greece for three years. Following this period, the Tombazis family moved to Geneva, where he still resides, for his position at the FIA. He is the son of well-known Greek architect Alexandros Tombazis. In his free time, Tombazis has said that he enjoys sculpture and spending quality, creative time with his family, playing Catan and Monopoly.

References

External links

Official formula1.com information about Nikolas Tombazis

Scuderia Ferrari Official Site information about Nikolas Tombazis

FerrariWorld Interview

1968 births Living people Engineers from Athens Ferrari people Aerodynamicists Formula One designers Greek motorsport people Alumni of Imperial College London Greek automobile designers Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Benetton Formula {{F1-bio-stub