TECHEETAH’S LÉO THOMAS CROWNED MODIS FORMULA E ENGINEER OF THE YEAR
Formula E Techeetah Racing Director Léo Thomas has won the inaugural Modis Engineer of the Year Award, seeing off competition from an outstanding field of experts as the ABB FIA Formula E Championship and its official innovation partner Modis seek to recognise technical excellence in the innovative world of electric racing. The announcement was made at the Formula E Season Finale Awards Gala in New York on Sunday evening.
Racing is not only about the drivers. Behind the scenes, there is an army of engineers, data analysts, mechanics and team managers who keep the ABB FIA Formula E Championship's 10 teams running smoothly.
The panel of judges unanimously selected Léo Thomas for his outstanding contribution to the sport, with a special focus on innovation initiated and led by the winner, TECHEETAH’s team performance over the season, and his contribution to team spirit. In particular, the panel praised Thomas’ development and deployment of a hyper-realistic race simulator which gave the TECHEETAH team a competitive advantage for race preparation and review throughout the season.
The panel comprised of Formula E Founder & CEO Alejandro Agag, Formula E Head of Sporting Benoit Dupont, Spark Technical Director Théophile Gouzin, Motorsport Network EMEA President James Allen, Eurosport’s Director of Global Motorsport Production Sebastian Tiffert, and Serge Grisin, Formula E Program Manager for Michelin.
Thomas receives a 20,000-euro bursary funded by Modis, which includes 10,000 euros for courses with the Adecco Group’s leading digital training brand General Assembly.
“I can’t thank Modis enough for this because it’s the first time that the engineers behind the scenes have been recognized. It's really an award for the whole Techeetah team. It has been an incredible and intense season, ending with the title for Jean-Eric [Vergne]. This nomination is another reward for the team’s incredible work.” ,
said Léo Thomas. Thomas started his career as a mechanical engineer in lower series motor racing before working for Peugeot Sport on its LMP1 908 project. He went on to start his own motorsport simulator business as well as helping to set up the Sebastian Loeb racing team. Thomas has worked in Formula E since its inception in 2014, eventually rising through the ranks as a race engineer at TECHEETAH to the level of racing director.
“Engineers are the unsung heroes of the championship, and we wanted to celebrate the vital contribution they make to the success of e-racing,” said Alain Dehaze, CEO of the Adecco Group – the parent group of Modis.
“A top engineer like Léo Thomas can conjure up those small margins that turn into competitive advantage on race day. The world of electric racing demands an incredible combination of innovation, adaptability and commitment from its engineers, and Modis is proud to promote and celebrate the invaluable ‘behind-the-scenes’ work that is so crucial for the development of Formula E and e-mobility.”
“Léo’s innovation and ability to create passion and a strong team spirit distinguished him in a highly talented and hard-working field of bright minds and experts,” said Formula E Founder & CEO Agag. “His contribution to developing one of the most realistic simulators available has allowed his team to compete effectively despite having fewer days of preseason testing. This type of innovation benefits the entire e-racing industry and demonstrates true leadership.”
Each of the eight nominees demonstrated passion, led innovation within their teams, and drove team performance over the season:
- Matteo Frolino, MS&AD , Andretti Formula E
- Helmut Joseph, System Engineer for Daniel Abt, Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler
- Javier Hijano, Performance Engineer, Mahindra Racing
- Michael Henderson, Race Engineer, NIO Formula E Team
- Yannick Hubert, Chief Engineer, Renault e.dams
- Léo Thomas, Racing Director, TECHEETAH
- Louis-Marie Blondel, Chief Engineer, Venturi Formula E
- Thomas Chevaucher, DS Performance Technical Manager, DS Virgin Racing
The 2017/18 Formula E season concluded this weekend against the backdrop of New York’s Manhattan skyline, with an E-Prix double header. Jean-Eric Vergne from the TECHEETAH team emerged as this year’s champion, with Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler winning the team title.
Stay tuned on www.modis.com to explore opportunities to dive into the world of Formula E and Modis.
About Modis
As global leader in professional solutions for IT, engineering and life sciences, Modis is designed to deliver agile end-to-end solutions for its customers, including professional staffing and consulting, project services, managed services, customised solutions, and outsourcing projects. Part of the world’s leading HR solutions partner, the Adecco Group, Modis empowers its associates, consultants, clients and candidates to connect smarter in a rapidly changing world of work through technology, innovation and international expertise. Modis is the only global brand of this kind, engaging some 35,000 associates and consultants and serving more than 6,000 customers in 18 countries worldwide. The Modis network of 20 centres of excellence and delivery centres offers customers the opportunity to benefit from best practices in their industries as well as access to the Adecco Group’s resources, experience and expert network in 60 territories. Modis offers candidates an unrivalled, diverse portfolio of projects and career development opportunities with the flexibility and security they need to thrive.
About the ABB FIA Formula E Championship
The ABB FIA Formula E Championship is the electric street racing series and the world’s first fully-electric international single-seater category in motorsport. Formula E brings electrifying wheel-to-wheel action to some of the world’s leading cities, racing against the backdrop of iconic skylines such as New York, Hong Kong, Paris and Rome.
The inaugural season of Formula E sparked into life in September 2014 around the grounds of the Olympic Park in Beijing. The fourth edition of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship will see 10 teams and 20 drivers compete in 10 cities spanning five continents in the fight to be crowned champion. Hong Kong hosted the season-opener over the course of two days on December 2 & 3, with the championship coming to a close in New York in July. Formula E is more than just a race to be the best - it’s a competitive platform to test and develop road relevant technologies, helping refine the design and functionality of electric vehicle components and speeding-up the transition and uptake of clean transportation on a global scale.
For this season, more manufacturers have joined the electric revolution with reigning champion Lucas di Grassi looking to defend his title for the Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler team. More big-name manufacturers have also committed to race in Formula E - including BMW and Nissan in tandem with the new-look car and battery in season five, along with Mercedes-Benz and Porsche who also plan to join the following year.
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