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Darren Davis

Aerodynamics are the most important part of the design of the modern Formula 1 car and so good aerodynamicists are always in demand. The first generation of Formula 1 aerodynamicists were recruited largely from industry with many of the major names - such as Jean-Claude Migeot and Henri Durand - coming from France's aerospace program in Toulouse. Others were mechanical engineers who taught themselves aerodynamics. The latest generation, which is currently coming to the fore, are men who were recruited into F1 straight from university and who have worked only on the development of racing cars. This group includes Nick Wirth, Ben Wood and Darren Davis.

Davis joined Leyton House Racing in 1988 from university and when fellow March engineer Wirth established the Simtek company in 1989 - with backing from Max Mosley - Davis was his first employee. The pair worked from Nick's house until the company's offices and windtunnel at Banbury were completed the following year. Simtek designed a secret Formula 1 car for BMW, designed and installed a windtunnel for the Ligier team at Magny-Cours and did engineering consultancy work in Group C, CART and Formula 3000.

In 1992 the BMW car was sold to the ill-fated Andrea Moda Formula team which never successfully showed the car's potential. Plans to build a car for the Bravo F1 team ended when founder Jean Mosnier died unexpectedly and eventually Wirth decided to go it alone and established Simtek Grand Prix. Davis was appointed head of aerodynamics. After the disastrous 1994 season - during which Simtek driver Roland Ratzenberger was killed at Imola - Davis left the team to take up the offer of a job with Gary Anderson at Jordan Grand Prix, working in the windtunnels at Southampton University. He stayed with the team until the end of 1996 when Jordan acquired the old March F1 windtunnel at Brackley and hired Dr. John Davis - no relation.

Darren moved on to work with Gordon Coppuck, who was overseeing the development program for the Arciero Wells CART team which ran Reynard-Toyotas that year for Max Papis and Hiro Matsushita before returning to Europe in November 1998 to join Anderson at Stewart Grand Prix, replacing Egbahl Hamidy as the head of aerodynamics. Davis spends a lot of his time working at the Swift windtunnel in San Clemente, California and remained with the team when it was transformed into Jaguar Racing, although at the end of 2000 he was replaced as head of aerodynamics by Mark Handford. He has remained at Jaguar Racing even since.