Portrait of Nikolas Tombazis, Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s relay driver
Following Mohammed Ben Sulayem's decision to no longer manage the day-to-day affairs of Formula 1, Nikolas Tombazis takes over. Let's take a look back at his 30-year career in the pinnacle of motorsport.
Trained as an engineer, Tombazis made his debut in F1 in 1992. From Benetton to the FIA, he has continuously climbed the ranks.
Spotted by Benetton
The Greek graduated with a PhD in Aeronautical Engineering from Imperial College London in 1992, and was immediately noticed by the Benetton team. In the same year, he joined the team as an aerodynamics specialist before being promoted to Chief Aerodynamicist two years later. He witnessed the emergence of Michael Schumacher and contributed to the team’s success in winning the constructor’s championship in 1995.
The Italian dream.
He leaves the British stable for Ferrari in 1997 and joins Schumacher, who arrived a year earlier. He is appointed as the aerodynamics director and contributes to the team’s domination for several years. He packs his bags as the team is at the pinnacle of its glory with six consecutive constructor championships won in six years and joins McLaren in 2004. However, it will only be a brief passage as he returns to the Scuderia in 2005 as the chief designer until 2014.
End of career in the paddock and arrival at the FIA
He joined Manor in 2015, but unfortunately, the team went under due to financial problems. Tombazis then returned to the school benches as a lecturer, teaching aerodynamics at Imperial College in London, where he studied. He finally made his way to the FIA in 2018, taking on the role of Technical Director in the single-seater department. He had been appointed Director of Single-Seaters last January and will now, in addition to his duties, be the main point of contact for the teams following Ben Sulayem stepping back.
