Formula Gades

What Formula Gades does

Formula Gades is a Formula Student racing team and student association based at the Universidad de Cádiz's School of Engineering (Escuela Superior de Ingeniería) in Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain. Founded in 2017 following the first Automobile Day at the School of Engineering, the team designs, builds, and competes with single-seater race cars in European Formula Student competitions against more than 100 universities from around the world. Its 40-50 student members are organised into six specialised subteams — Aerodynamics, Chassis, Electronics & Control, Suspension/Steering/Brakes, Engine & Transmission, and Business & Operations — under a Team Leader and Technical Director.

The team's product portfolio consists of six successive vehicle generations — FG01, FG02, G22, G22EVO, G24, and G24EVO — progressively refined over each competition season since 2018-2019. Notable engineering capabilities include a full carbon fibre aerodynamic package (front and rear wings, sidewings, diffuser, nosecone), push-rod rear suspension with anti-roll bar, a redesigned differential carrier that reduced weight to one-third of its predecessor, a PCB-based wiring harness, and 3D-printed rocker components produced via additive manufacturing. Across generations, the team has reduced vehicle weight from 259 kg (G22) to 238 kg (G24) and improved 0-75m acceleration from 5.3 seconds to 4.3 seconds, while expanding power output from 72 CV (G22EVO) to 73 CV (G24).

Formula Gades operates as a non-commercial entity funded primarily through corporate sponsorships and institutional grants at tiered levels (Platinum, Aurum, Argentum, Support, AES), with Platinum-tier support from Universidad de Cádiz, Escuela Superior de Ingeniería, ETSI, and Circuito de Jerez. The team monetises competition performance rather than selling products or services, using results from Formula Student events in Spain, Germany, Austria, Portugal, and Alpe Adria as its primary go-to-market mechanism for sponsor acquisition and industry exposure. The 2025 season marked the team's breakthrough year, with its first overall competition victory (Formula Student Portugal), its first podium at Formula Student Spain (3rd), and its first finish at the highest-level European combustion category event (5th at Formula Student Alpe Adria).

Name

Formula Gades

Legal name

Formula Gades

Website

https://formulagades.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Formula Gades is a Formula Student racing team at Universidad de Cádiz that designs, builds, and competes with single-seater race cars in European competitions. The student association has developed six vehicle generations since 2017 and is funded by corporate sponsorships and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Formula Student Motorsports Engineering

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211)

SIC

Services-Racing, Including Track Operation (7948)

akta.pro primary industry

Motorsports Teams & Entrants (Factory & Independent) (MPAKAGAB)

Keywords

• Formula student racing
• Single-seater race car design
• Carbon fibre aerodynamics
• Additive manufacturing components
• University engineering team

Headquarters

HQ city

Puerto Real, Cádiz

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Sponsorship and Grants: Formula Gades is a university-affiliated student association funded primarily through corporate sponsors and institutional grants. Sponsors provide financial contributions and in-kind support (materials, software, services) at Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze tiers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Formula Gades is a Formula Student racing team that designs, engineers, fabricates, and races single-seater competition monoplazas (six generations to date: FG01, FG02, G22, G22EVO, G24, G24EVO). It is a non-commercial university student association at the Universidad de Cádiz that delivers hands-on, multidisciplinary engineering experience to its members through competition against more than 100 European universities. The team operates as a project-based engineering organisation funded by sponsorships and institutional grants, with no commercial product sales.

Product overview

Formula Gades is a Formula Student racing team that designs, builds, and competes with single-seater race cars. The product portfolio consists of successive racing car generations and their evolutions: FG01 and FG02 as foundational prototypes (2018-2021), followed by the G-series (G22, G22EVO, G24, G24EVO) representing increasingly sophisticated iterations. Each vehicle is developed annually with improvements in weight reduction, aerodynamics, powertrain, and systems integration. The G24EVO represents the current pinnacle with additive manufacturing for component production and PCB-based electrical systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• G22 single-seater race car
• G22EVO single-seater race car
• G24 single-seater race car
• G24EVO single-seater race car
• FG01 single-seater race car
• FG02 single-seater race car

Quantifiable outcome

• G24EVO 0–75m acceleration: 4.3 seconds (improved from G22's 5.3s)
• +4 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

25 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Universidad de CádizcoreOthersThe Universidad de Cádiz is the host institution and primary supporter of Formula Gades. It provides the team's physical facilities, academic oversight, and is the lead Platinum-tier sponsor.
• Circuito de JerezcoreOthersCircuito de Jerez (Andalusia's premier motorsport circuit) sponsors Formula Gades at the Platinum level, providing track access and motorsport credibility.
• ESI - Escuela Superior de Ingeniería (UCA)coreOthersThe Escuela Superior de Ingeniería at Universidad de Cádiz is the academic home of the team and a Platinum sponsor, providing facilities and departmental support.
• ETSI - Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería (UCA)coreOthersThe ETSI (Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería) at Universidad de Cádiz is another academic department sponsor at Platinum level.
• VerinsurminorOthersVerinsur provides insurance coverage to the team at the Aurum tier.
• Bernardino AbadminorOthersBernardino Abad, an industrial company, sponsors the team at the Aurum tier.
• DSA GrupominorOthersDSA Grupo sponsors the team at the Aurum tier.
• AlunidminorOthersAlunid, a company specialising in aluminium components, sponsors the team at the Aurum tier.
• ATS GlobalminorOthersATS Global, a company specialising in digital manufacturing and MES solutions, sponsors the team at the Aurum tier.
• StayerminorOthersStayer, a tool manufacturer, sponsors the team at the Argentum tier.
• SumitecniminorOthersSumitecni sponsors the team at the Argentum tier.
• ForAquaminorOthersForAqua sponsors the team at the Argentum tier.
• Dept. Ingeniería Automática (UCA)minorOthersThe Department of Automatic Engineering at Universidad de Cádiz sponsors the team at the Support tier.
• Dept. Ingeniería de Materiales y Fabricación (UCA)minorOthersThe Department of Materials and Manufacturing Engineering at Universidad de Cádiz sponsors the team at the Support tier.
• MacPhersonminorOthersMacPherson, an industrial company, sponsors the team at the Support tier.
• Cadimar GroupminorOthersCadimar Group sponsors the team at the AES tier.
• LibnamicminorOthersLibnamic sponsors the team at the AES tier.
• IbercoinminorOthersIbercoin sponsors the team at the AES tier.
• FAA - Fabricación y MontajeminorOthersFAA sponsors the team at the Support tier.
• COGITIminorOthersCOGITI (Colegio Oficial de Ingenieros Técnicos Industriales) sponsors the team at the Argentum tier.
• COIIAOCminorOthersCOIIAOC (Colegio Oficial de Ingenieros Industriales de Andalucía Occidental) sponsors the team at the Argentum tier.
• XergetiaminorOthersXergetia (branded as Recurso 1) sponsors the team at the Argentum tier.
• SAPSAminorOthersSAPSA sponsors the team at the Support tier.
• ApontoqueminorOthersApontoque sponsors the team at the Support tier.
• Autoescuela GabrielminorOthersAutoescuela Gabriel (driving school) sponsors the team at the Support tier.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• AMZ (ETH Zurich): Swiss Formula Student team from ETH Zurich, regularly ranked among Europe's top FS teams. Represents the upper bound of the category Formula Gades is approaching; useful benchmark for technology and scale.
• DUT Racing (TU Delft): Dutch Formula Student team from Delft University of Technology, a consistently top-ranked European FS team. Relevant high-tier benchmark for Formula Gades' European expansion ambitions.
• KA-RaceIng (KIT): German Formula Student team from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, a top European FS team. Competes in the same FSG and FSAA events where Formula Gades has debuted, providing a high-performance benchmark.

Direct peers

• FST Lisboa: Portuguese Formula Student team competing in Formula Student Portugal (where Formula Gades won in 2025) and FS Spain. Direct Iberian peer with similar profile and competition footprint.
• UPM Racing: Formula Student team from the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, a peer Spanish university team competing in the same FS Spain and FS Germany events. Operates with a comparable talent-and-sponsor-driven model targeting engineering students.
• ARUS Formula Student: Spanish university Formula Student team explicitly referenced in Formula Gades' founding history as the inspiration for the team. Direct peer in the same competition circuit (Formula Student Spain) with similar team structure and target audience.
• BCN eMotorsport: Formula Student team from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya and associated institutions. Spanish peer with a comparable engineering-student base competing in Formula Student Spain.
• UPV Racing: Long-standing Formula Student team from the Universitat Politècnica de València, one of Spain's most established and competitive university racing teams. Competes in the same Formula Student Spain and Formula Student Germany events as Formula Gades with a similar multi-subteam structure.
• URJC Motorsport: Formula Student team from Universidad Rey Juan Carlos in Madrid. Spanish peer team competing in the same regional FS events with similar student-run, sponsorship-funded structure.

Others

• Formula Student Germany: Organizer of Formula Student Germany, the most prestigious Formula Student competition globally. Not a competing team but the principal event operator in the FS ecosystem and a key platform for Formula Gades' international visibility.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/formula-gades

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Formula Gades