Former Ferrari and Williams F1 aerodynamicist Antonia Terzi dies

Sad news from Italy with the announcement of the death of the trans engineeralpine Antonia Terzi, missing in a car accident in the United Kingdom.

Born in 1971 in Mirandola in the province of Modena, Terzi studied at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia before starting in F1 in the most prestigious stable when she joined Ferrari in 1999.

The Italian learns the tricks of the trade under the wing of the great Rory Byrne, aero chief of the Scuderia Dream Team. Terzi remained in Maranello (Italy) until 2001 then moved to the United Kingdom where she was recruited by Williams.

At the time, the Grove team (Great Britain), with a factory partnership with BMW and a driver duo composed of Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher, asserts itself as Ferrari's main rival.

The Williams FW26 and its famous walrus nose, lined up in early 2004 / © DPPI

After coming close to the title in 2003, Williams created a sensation during the following off-season by unveiling an FW26 whose walrus nose attracted all eyes. It is to Terzi that we owe this technical discovery, which is based on the concept of a double keel supposed to optimize the flow of flows.

While Williams begins the 2004 season with rising ambitions, the British team must quickly face the facts. As ambitious as it was on paper, its walrus-nosed FW26 quickly showed limited potential. So Terzi must quickly correct the situation. From the Hungarian Grand Prix, the concept was abandoned and the FW26 adopted a more conventional nose.

Williams would only sign one victory that season, in Brazil during the last race of the season, the work of Montoya. This is also the Colombian's final appearance in Williams colors, heading for McLaren after signing a contract with Woking (United Kingdom) at the end of 2003.

At the end of 2004, Terzi left the Grove stable where she was replaced by Frenchman Loïc Bigois. She then contributed to various university projects, notably that of Superbus, a 100% electric carbon fiber means of transport that can reach 250 km/h and accommodate up to 23 passengers with gullwing doors.

The project was carried out in partnership with Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, and in collaboration with Dutch astronaut and physicist Wubbo Ockels.

In 2020, Terzi was appointed professor at the Australian National University located in the capital of Canberra.

If the results of the Williams FW26 were much less convincing than expected, Antonia Terzi will still have left her mark on the world of Formula 1.

We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of our former colleague and chief aerodynamicist, Antonia Terzi.

Our thoughts go out to Antonia's friends and family at this difficult time. pic.twitter.com/lgrhmanuQm

- Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) November 1, 2021