Who We Are
The Beginning
Antonio always says that one of his first memories was sitting on his dad's lap watching Michael Schumacher winning in a Ferrari. Ever since then, he’s had an immense passion for motorsports ranging in multiple roles from driving to engineering. After his karting days came to an end, he told himself that if I couldn't win an F1 championship as a driver, he would design a car that would. He is currently on that path to making that statement into a reality.
First Simulations
As Antonio became more interested in race car design, the focus shifted on preparing his self for the future. In high school, he started running his first CFD simulations on his father's 1981 Fiat 124 Spider’s air intake. He also experimented with part design, then refining the design using FEA and Topology optimization software. What he lacked in fundamental understanding of the math behind it all, was compensated for with a drive to learn more and take on different projects.
Formula SAE - Ryerson Formula Racing
Originally landing in the powertrain department, Antonio wanted to research variable length intake systems, something he found interesting after his first CFD studies. After a few months, he then transitioned to the aerodynamics team where he was tasked with designing the wing mounts. Load analysis coupled with some clever design for wing angle adjustment saw Antonio complete the project with more experience in design and FEA than ever. By the end of my first year, Antonio was already learning CFD from the Head of Aerodynamics at the time. That summer, he used Star-CCM+ to design his first ever aerodynamics package consisting of a front and rear wing. The initial design, followed by refinements to move the centre of pressure appropriately really amplified his passion for aerodynamics and CFD. In my third and fourth year, Antonio stepped up to be Ryerson Formula Racing's Head of Aerodynamics and CFD where he was responsible for Aero team management, and CFD methodologies. He also had the privilege of being a driver for the team, which was also accompanied with training future drivers.
First Step Into Motorsports
In the middle of 2020, Antonio was fortunate enough to join R. Ferri Motorsports. His year and a half spell there consisted of taking a junior race engineer role in Ferrari Challenge. Back at base, he spent my days focusing on developing lap time simulation models of the Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo, 488 GT3, and 458 GT2. In preparation for race weekends, he worked with the mechanics to setup the cars, and made multiple spreadsheets to track information and make mid-weekend decisions more reliable. Working for the Ferrari brand was a dream come true, and he truly felt special to suit up in red for race weekends.
The Big Leagues
In a move aiming to progress to professional racing, Antonio joined Pfaff Motorsports in the fall of 2021. Working at the team for a season saw me fill different roles while working on multiple programs. On the IMSA side were Pfaff ran the Porsche 911 GT3R, he monitored sensor functionality while assisting other members of the engineering team when needed. Post race weekend work included pit stop reports for the crew to monitor team performance, as well as tracking/managing tire and brake sets. Being part of a championship winning team that also won the 2022 24hrs of Daytona was extremely special. Antonio also had the privilege of being the lead engineer for Pfaff’s FEL GT4 program, running a McLaren 570s GT4. He tackled concepts such as race car setup and driver training/coaching. It taught him valuable lessons in how to communicate and work with mechanics to achieve setups and ensure the car is prepped in a timely manner, and his overall communication skills improved. It was a fruitful season as Pfaff earned the GT4 championship, collecting multiple race wins along the way.
What's Next?
In September of 2023, Antonio will be starting an MSc in Advanced Motorsports Engineering at Cranfield University. This is his dream program at his dream school and aligns well with his goal to one day work in Formula One.
