Loïc Bigois (born 19 September 1960) is a French

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

aerodynamicist. He is currently the Head of Aerodynamic Operations at

Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari (; ), currently racing under Scuderia Ferrari HP, 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 Pranc ...

Career

After studying engineering at the

Conservatoire national des arts et métiers The (; ; abbr. CNAM) is an AMBA-accredited French ''grande école'' and '' grand établissement''. It is a member of the '' Conférence des Grandes écoles'', which is an equivalent to the Ivy League schools in the United States, Oxbridge in th ...

, Bigois relocated to

Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

and began working in the

aerospace Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial, and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and astron ...

industry. He was recruited by the Ligier F1 team in 1990 and for several years moved between the mid-field teams. In the late 1990s he returned to Ligier and remained as Chief Designer through the transition to Prost Grand Prix before being recruited by Minardi to become their Head of Aerodynamics in mid-2001. In 2003 he was recruited by Williams as Aerodynamicist. Bigois worked alongside Jörg Zander who replaced Gavin Fisher as Chief Designer in September 2005. Both Bigois and Zander worked under Technical Director Sam Michael. On 2 July 2007, it was announced that he had agreed to join the Honda Racing F1 team and as a result, was suspended by Williams. In 2009, the team was reformed as Brawn GP but Bigois continued in the role of Head of Aerodynamics. Brawn GP subsequently won both the Drivers' and Constructors' championships, leading to Bigois being awarded the Dino Toso Racecar Aerodynamicist of the Year Award. Bigois was the Head of Aerodynamics at Mercedes GP which bought out Brawn GP following their double championship winning season until he decided to leave the team in June 2012. Following his departure from the Mercedes team, rumours emerging in Italian (Autosprint) and French (Auto Hebdo) newspapers linked Bigois with the Maranello-based team

. Bigois would join Ferrari as Head of Aerodynamics before the end of the year, after a long period of gardening leave.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bigois, Loic 1960 births Living people Formula One designers Aerodynamicists French motorsport people Ferrari people Honda people Brawn GP Conservatoire national des arts et métiers alumni