formula E announces chief design officer of new racing series with concept reveal

FIA’s electric series formula E, announced daniel simon as their chief design officer for their next racing competition ‘roborace’ – a driverless, electric and connected race car. the futuristic automotive designer is renowned for his work on hollywood sci-fi films such as ‘tron: legacy’ and ‘oblivion’. he was also a senior designer at bugatti and later went on to design drones, motorcycles and spaceships throughout his career.

the design created by daniel simon

‘we’re living in a time where the once separated worlds of the automobile and artificial intelligence collide with unstoppable force,’ explains daniel simon. it’s fantastic to be part of this journey; it triggers all my big passions – motor racing, design and advanced technologies. my goal was to create a vehicle that takes full advantage of the unusual opportunities of having no driver without ever compromising on beauty. racing engineers and aerodynamicists have worked with me from the beginning to strike that balance. the roborace is as much about competition as it is entertainment.’

the race car will be electric and driverless

‘therefore – and quite unusual in today’s racing world – beauty was very high on our agenda and we work hard to merge the best performance with stunning styling. it was important to us that we generate substantial downforce without unnecessary parts cluttering the car to maintain a clean and iconic look. this is largely made possible by using the floor as the main aerodynamic device and we are currently developing active body parts that are more organic and seamless than solutions today. I am excited to be part of the daring team of people who are making this happen.’

‘roborace’ will make its debut during the 2016/2017 formula-e season showcasing safety and extreme driving capabilities.

futuristic concept by daniel simon