Modis Formula E Engineer of the Year Award

The ABB FIA Formula E Championship and its official innovation partner Modis name the inaugural Modis Engineer of the Year. An official Formula E award recognizing the importance of behind-the-scenes excellence in the innovative world of e-racing.

Racing isn't always about the drivers. Behind the scenes, there's an army of engineers, data analysts, mechanics and team managers who keep the ABB FIA Formula E Championship's 10 teams running smoothly. Whether it's fixing a car through the night, picking up the pieces after battling on track, celebrating a hard-earned victory or facing defeat, it's all part of the game we call motorsport.

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 July 16th evening.

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 RacingMichael 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