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
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 ...
. 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