Supported by INESC TEC, FS FEUP celebrated wins in Switzerland and Portugal – with sights set on 2027 

The 2025/2026 season ended on a high for Formula Student FEUP, supported by INESC TEC. At Formula Student Switzerland, considered one of the most important competitions for the exclusive assessment of concepts, the team secured several awards – including first place in the Overall Junior Cost and Manufacturing Event and Engineering Design Event categories, and second place in the Business Plan Presentation. 

The competition provided an opportunity to connect with “universities from all over the world” and benefit from the knowledge of “the most qualified judges”, highlighted André Teixeira Pinto, team leader of FS FEUP. The “feedback on the developments” to be implemented next year, “in addition to refining the various manufacturing techniques and materials used in previous years, will be crucial for FS FEUP to introduce significant new developments across all areas of the project”. 

Among the innovations planned for 2027 are changes “to the structural component, with the incorporation of sandwich-panel impact structures, a complete aerodynamic package and a new powertrain concept with two motors integrated into the wheels with planetary transmission”. The team will also focus “on developing a new high-voltage component – through a Battery Management System (BMS) – and on improving autonomous driving performance (towards achieving at least 80% of the performance of the manual version)”.

Comprising 68 students from the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (from Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Industrial Management, Environment and Materials courses), FS FEUP is supported by INESC TEC, with the Institute providing “key components like the motors and the inverter, which represented the greatest technological advance of the cycle”, while enabling “the testing of PCBs and High-Voltage Safety Systems logics”. “INESC TEC plays an extremely important role in the development of the project, particularly in the areas of high and low voltage and safety systems,” said André Teixeira Pinto. 

With the feedback received from judges holding positions in motorsport, including Formula 1 itself, as well as at renowned manufacturers, the team is already preparing for a 2027 season marked by track testing of the FS FEUP 03 prototype, both at Formula Student Switzerland and Formula Student Portugal – another important event on the calendar. 

At this competition, which took place in Castelo Branco from 19 to 24 July, FS FEUP also secured first place in several categories: Overall EV Winner – Class 2, Business Plan Presentation, Cost and Manufacturing Event and Engineering Design Event. Despite not having a prototype on track, the team sought to “strengthen mutual support and the relationship between national teams and, consequently, raise the level of Formula Student in Portugal” by supporting the other teams from the country.