Every now and then one gets the chance to enter  the  inner sanctum of Formula One, and at the  Australian Grand  Prix I  landed the  opportunity to interview  one  of the  most  creative identities  of the  Ferrari Team.

Right now it is the biggest challenge of my career, as it is the most comprehensive change in Formula One aerodynamics for 20 years. – Nikolas Tombazis –

After  “too-ing  and  frow-ing” with a string  of endless  phone  calls and  emails,  I arrived  at the  track on Thursday to interview  Ferrari’s Chief  Design Engineer, Nikolas Tombazis.

Having  met Luca, the teams’ public relations  person who organised the different  electronic security passes for myself, we  found  ourselves  amongst the bustling activity of  pit  lane at the  Ferrari compound  and garage.

Nikolas  Tombazis, Chief  Design Engineer  of the  corsa  rosso, is  a Greek man with a passion.

He is the  person behind the prancing horse design, the heart of the Ferrari team.

Standing about  182cm tall, he exuded a charismatic presence and had a formidable command of both the English, Italian and Greek languages.

Sitting in the luxurious Ferrari hospitality marquee, Tombazis tells me about his entry into Formula One.

“I was born and raised in  Athens where I lived there until I turned  18,  then I left my family and Greece and went  to England  to study engineering  at  Cambridge  University. After  graduating from Cambridge, I set  my  sights  on entering  the  world of Formula One, but  to do that I had  to undertake  post  graduate  studies at the Imperial College in London where ,in 1992, I  attained my  PhD in Aeronautical Engineering.”

Clearly a sharp mind, Mr Tombazis explained that in his  final year  of post  graduate  studies, he  saw an ad in the newspaper asking for a  young dynamics  engineer to join the  Benetton-Renault F1 team. He applied and was lucky enough to land  the job entering the cut and thrust  at  motorsport’s  highest  level and, within two years, he became Benetton’s Head of Dynamics.

“I stayed  at  Benetton for another  two  years after being  promoted, before going  to Ferrari for the first  time. I was  at  Ferrari for two years  before  leaving and  joining McLaren for a  further  year and a  half, but  six years ago I returned to Ferrari as their  Chief Design Engineer, and  have  been there ever  since.”

Tombazis and  his design team are responsible  for the  overall design, mechanical layout and aerodynamics development  of Ferrari’s F1s, except  for engine  and electrics. He is  totally  devoted  to his work but very openly  loves  his  position, having  enjoyed  traversing the  world as part of the Formula  One world since  the  early 1990’s .

Mr. Tombazis goes on to explain, “My  role  in the  team is  never-ending  as the  current  cars and  future  designs for next  season  are  constantly being worked on.

“There is always a balance  to be  considered on how  much effort  the  team spends  on refining this  year’s design, and developing next  year’s car.  Right now,  it is  the  biggest  challenge of my career, as  it is the most  comprehensive change in Formula One aerodynamics  for 20 years.

“To work within the  spirit  of the  regulations and still maintain a competitive  edge – larger cockpit adjustable front wings, redesigned  under-tray diffusers , smaller  rear  wings and slick tyres , has altered the aerodynamic ratio of the  cars as  down force was  reduced and mechanical grip increased.”

According  to Tombazis, the future  of Formula  One  is  evolving  in two main areas,  “The first  and  most  pressing,  especially in recent  economic circumstances, is  to reduce the spiraling  costs accumulated in the  sport over  the  last  two decades.

“The  second  is  the environmental issue as it’s  becoming  more  obvious that design and  fuel technology is leaning that  way on a  global scale.”

He  expects Ferrari to be  successful and take the Driver’s and Manufacturer’s  championships saying, “Without  being  arrogant, It’s not a divine  right for  Ferrari to come  first  but it is expected from  the  team and  their supporter base all over  the  world. The  objective  is  to win what  may arguably  be the closest  racing season ever.”

Ultimately, the  bottom line  that Nikolas Tombazis and  his team need to provide  every  possible design advantage  to help power the  red scuderia machines of Kimi Raikonnen  and  Felipe Massa to victory.

On completing  the  interview, I could only  conclude  one  thing: In the  rarefied world  of  Formula  One  racing, Nikolas  Tombazis is at the  top of  his  profession and he is a  man on a  mission!