The countdown clock projected onto the screen in the Great Hall of Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, ticks down the final ten minutes, creating a sense of anticipation in the air. The audience buzzes with excitement, heightened by the sight of a figure on stage draped in a red cloak – even before any of its four engines are started, the new vehicle from Formula Student Técnico (FST Lisboa) commands attention as the loudest presence in the room.

The Great Hall is packed to capacity – despite the arrangement of four large clusters of chairs, many people are standing, crowding the sides and back, eager to witness the culmination of months of hard work. It is the afternoon of 9 June and, after 25 years of existence, the Técnico Students’ Organisation FST Lisboa is about to unveil its 15th prototype, the FST15, at this rollout event.

“If there is one thing that sets Técnico apart from other engineering schools, it is the dynamism of our students”, stated Rogério Colaço, the president of Técnico. He acknowledged that “FST is a pioneer in our students’ extracurricular activities”, which has a “multiplier effect” on the emergence of various prototyping groups “that create everything from satellites and hydrogen cars to rockets, drones, and motorbikes – I know of no other higher education institution internationally that has this level of dynamism”.

This year’s FST Lisboa team comprises 68 Técnico students (aerospace, mechanical, electrical and computer science engineering), joined by students from other areas such as economics and industrial management. The team was established in 2001 with the aim of applying the theoretical knowledge acquired in classes.

Pedro Amaral, Vice-President of Técnico for Corporate Relations, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, expressed his surprise at the beginning of his speech. “Wow. Not even at our best meetings do we see the Great Hall this full, and that’s a clear sign”, he said, describing the “fantastic work carried out by students who are setting up companies and holding management positions”. The professor reflected on his experience at an event in Germany, at the Hockenheimring, where FST Lisboa participated, attracting an audience of 4,000 to 5,000 people “representing Técnico and Portugal”.

The students’ pride in their work is palpable throughout the event, whether through the frequent applause from FST Lisboa members in the audience or the detailed descriptions of the vehicle’s technical specifications and improvements over the previous prototype. Among the main improvements are a new battery developed in-house by the team and a new autonomous braking system, as well as an optimised cooling solution to support the new electrical architecture and longer test sessions.

The aerodynamics have also been revised, with the new package including sidepods, additional aerodynamic structures and a new rear wing. In terms of electronics, the team has developed new sensors, updated power distribution systems, data acquisition and enhanced diagnostic capabilities, with reducing the prototype’s weight being another key objective in the development of the FST15 – the vehicle weighs around 200 kilograms and, without a driver, can reach 100 km/h autonomously in less than two seconds.

Celebrating a partnership with FST Lisboa since 2023, Vinci Energies Portugal was represented at the event by Fernando Rodrigues. For the sponsor’s Managing Director, “this is an extraordinary opportunity to connect with Técnico, given its rich history and commitment”. He described “being close to the talent pool” that FST Lisboa offers as a “privilege” for Vinci, emphasising that, regardless of the outcomes in future competitions, “getting this far is already an incredible achievement”.

In front of the Main Building, the usual victory lap

Minutes later, carried by a dozen team members, the FST15 prepares for its usual demonstration in front of the Main Building, at the top of Alameda. As usual in these circumstances, the crowd gathers on the steps, eager to watch the demonstration – the car park is empty except for the prototype, which will serve as the track for the vehicle’s performance showcase.

Alexandre Gaspar is particularly interested in the outcome of the demonstration – he is a member of the FST Lisboa driver interface team and hopes to show what “all the hours of work” have resulted in. The third-year Mechanical Engineering undergraduate student shares that “ever since secondary school, I’ve always heard people talk about Técnico and FST Lisboa”, so much so that “you could say I came here largely because of this group”.

“We’re not from here [Lisbon], we’re from Fundão. On the rare occasions he goes home, he spends days and nights glued to his computer working on FST Lisboa” – these are the words of João and Carla, referring to their son, Rafael Leal, another Mechanical Engineering student and a member of the team. “And it’s worth it; he came to Técnico with the intention of joining FST”, shares João. “Getting into the world of Formula 1 is a very difficult dream and he’s working towards it”, he adds, with Carla assuring us that involvement in students’ organisations like this can “open many doors” in one’s professional life.

Everything is set – the driver is ready, the track is clear, the mobile phones have their cameras pointed. The prototype speeds off, this time to weave its way around the makeshift circuit at Técnico – Alameda campus, but in a few weeks it will also do so in Castelo Branco, Barcelona (Spain) and Hockenheim (Germany), in Formula Student competitions to which the team is already well accustomed – since 2025, FST Lisboa has held 8th place among 62 teams in the Driverless category and 15th place among 480 in the Electric Vehicle category in the Formula Student World Ranking.

Formula Student is regarded as one of the world’s leading university engineering competitions. Unlike a traditional motor racing competition, victory does not depend solely on speed on the track. Teams are assessed on the overall project package, including design, construction, performance, innovation, financial planning, presentation skills and business acumen. In practice, each team takes on the role of a manufacturer developing a prototype to be evaluated for production.