83. Nikolas Tombazis

Nikolas Tombazis is a renowned racing car designer who has played a pivotal role in shaping the aerodynamics of some of Formula One’s most iconic teams, including Benetton, McLaren, and Ferrari. With a career spanning over three decades, Tombazis has been at the heart of F1’s relentless pursuit of speed and innovation.

Born in Athens, Greece, Tombazis laid the foundation for his engineering career at two of the UK’s most prestigious institutions. He earned an engineering degree from Trinity College, Cambridge in 1989, followed by a PhD in aeronautical engineering from Imperial College London in 1992.

Later that year, he began his Formula One journey as an aerodynamicist at Benetton. His talent was quickly recognized, and by 1994, he was promoted to Head of Aerodynamics. In 1997, he joined Ferrari, where he led the aerodynamics and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) departments, playing a key role in the team’s late-1990s and early-2000s resurgence.

Tombazis returned to the UK in 2004 to work for McLaren, initially as a top aerodynamicist before being promoted to Head of Planning. But in 2006, Ferrari brought him back—this time as Chief Designer. During this second stint, he contributed to some of Ferrari’s most competitive cars before departing in December 2014.

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In 2016, he took on a new challenge as Chief Aerodynamicist at Manor Racing. After the team folded, he founded his own consultancy, MAA, and returned to academia as a visiting professor at Imperial College London.

Tombazis joined the FIA in 2018, taking on a broader role as Head of Single-Seater Technical Matters. His deep understanding of race car dynamics helped shape the sport’s technical regulations. In January 2023, he was promoted to Single-Seater Director, overseeing all technical aspects of Formula One.

From engineering labs to the fast lanes of F1, Tombazis has remained a key figure in the sport’s evolution—balancing science, speed, and the thrill of competition.