William tries out replica race car and jokes about AI drivers at Formula E base

The Prince of Wales has tried out a “fantastic” replica of a Jaguar Formula E (FE) racing car, as he joked about drivers being replaced by artificial intelligence (AI).

William met drivers and engineers at Jaguar TCS Racing’s base in Kidlington, Oxfordshire, working on new technologies in the world’s fastest-growing electric motorsport.

In the factory, the prince was greeted by Antonio Felix da Costa, the 2020 FE world champion, who offered him the chance to sit behind the wheel of a development car, identical to the team’s current model.

“There’s not a lot of room in the legs, is there?” joked William, who stands at 6ft 3in, as he settled into the car.

Da Costa talked the prince through what it is like to race the car, as well as its equipment and features.

“And your head, would you be slightly lower down?” William asked.

“I would say slightly lower than you are now,” Da Costa replied.

Before getting out of the car, the prince thanked the sportsman, adding “that’s fantastic”.

William, who is known to have an interest in the environment, appeared enthusiastic and engaged as he asked questions about the sustainability aspect of FE, something he described as “incredible”, and told engineers they are “doing very well”.

He wished the team luck ahead of their races in Berlin next month, and said: “I’m very excited to see you racing, I’m going to cheer you guys on.”

Meeting young engineers who had completed a graduate programme with Jaguar TCS Racing, the prince told them he had joked with their colleagues earlier that, with so many innovations in the sport, “at what point does the driver become the weak link?”

He added: “(At what point do we think) get rid of drivers, we’ll get an AI person in?… We’re probably not far off that, are we?”

Speaking to 22-year-old graduate Phoebe Russell, the prince remarked that motorsport is “not necessarily the first thing women would think about joining”, asking: “Was it easy for you to find your way into this world?”, to which she replied “not at all”, adding that she had exposure to the sport as a child.

Speaking after the visit, Ms Russell said she was “in shock” after meeting the prince.

She said: “Being asked to do a little career talk was very exciting… The fact that he (William) had so much awareness of the sport and so much interest, and it ties into his whole sustainability project, it was very interesting.”

Jack Lambert, head of technical integration at Jaguar TCS Racing, who gave the prince a tour of the premises, joked that William’s height could make racing in the car uncomfortable.

Mr Lambert said: “It’s great to see him in there, and that he was keen to get in it, because it’s not an easy thing to get in and out of by any means… so for him to be so open to doing that with everyone around, it’s not a small ask, but he was really keen.

“And his interaction with Antonio, and Antonio being able to tell him about his world while he’s behind the steering wheel, it’s awesome.”