Prince William took a behind-the-scenes turn at high-speed innovation this week, visiting the headquarters of Jaguar TCS Racing and putting the focus firmly on the future of electric motorsport.
Sharing a clip of his visit on Instagram, the Prince of Wales captioned it: “Going green with Jaguar TCS Racing and Formula E!” a nod to the team’s drive toward electrification and sustainability.
William also brought his characteristic curiosity to the table, joking with the engineers about how far automation could go in racing.
During the visit, he joked: “At what point does the driver become the weak link?”
Before taking the idea further: “(At what point do we think) by getting rid of drivers, we’ll include a person with artificial intelligence? We’re probably not too far from that, right?”
The Prince also spent time speaking to 22-year-old Phoebe Russell, where the conversation turned to careers in motorsport and the barriers women still face when entering the industry.
William asked, “Did you find it easy to find your way in this world?” to which Russell responded, “Not at all,” explaining that he had early exposure to the sport through family connections.
After the visit, Russell admitted that the encounter left her overwhelmed, saying: “Being asked to give a short talk about his career was very exciting.
The fact that he had so much awareness and interest in the sport, and that it linked to his entire sustainability project, was very interesting.”
Before leaving, William said goodbye by encouraging the team before their next challenge and told them: “I’m very excited to see you compete, I’m going to cheer you on.”
