Yao Qiming, deputy chief engineer at Tongji Architectural Design Group, is applying the rigorous safety engineering principles from Formula One racing circuits to enhance road safety across China’s public road network. Over her 23-year career, Yao has translated technology traditionally reserved for elite motorsport into practical applications for autonomous vehicle testing and intelligent traffic infrastructure.
Yao’s dedication to road safety is deeply personal. Her father survived a severe traffic accident before she was born, an experience that shaped her lifelong commitment to reducing traffic casualties. “All my life, I just want to do one thing right: make roads safer,” she said.
Her work in circuit design demands extraordinary precision. Every detail of a racing track—including curves, gradients, and banking angles—is calibrated to optimize performance and minimize safety risks at high speeds, requiring accuracy down to the millimeter. Yao enforces strict standards in her work, rejecting vague terminology in favor of precise, scientific assessments.
Entering a male-dominated field, Yao carved out a prominent role in motorsport engineering by championing China’s domestic expertise at a time when Western engineers largely dominated circuit design. She began her career in 2003 working on facilities for the Shanghai International Circuit ahead of the city’s inaugural Formula One Grand Prix in 2004. Later, as chief designer for the Shanghai DTM street race, she gained recognition, notably revising a longstanding safety barrier design to create a cost-effective dual-purpose barrier suitable for both racecourses and urban roads—earning commendation from the International Automobile Federation (FIA).
Yao’s ambitions extended with a bold proposal to design a permanent race circuit in Changchun, Jilin province. Despite lacking access to standardized codes and facing proprietary constraints from overseas agencies, she developed a circuit simulation system from scratch using her coding skills. Her design was endorsed by FIA experts, marking a significant milestone in China’s advancement in circuit engineering, although the Changchun circuit has yet to be constructed.
In 2009, Yao joined Tongji Architectural Design Group to deepen her academic pursuits and earned a doctoral degree in road safety from Tongji University. She continued pushing innovation with the Wuhan International Circuit project in 2013, adopting a “circuit as a service” approach to apply race circuit safety protocols to autonomous vehicles and public roads. The circuit became a dual-use facility for racing and autonomous vehicle testing, garnering international recognition for its alignment with FIA safety standards.
Beyond circuit design—which now constitutes about one-third of her professional focus—Yao dedicates considerable effort to researching intelligent traffic safety and repurposing racetracks as high-standard test environments for civilian vehicles. In 2020, she founded the Shanghai Research Center for Smart Mobility and Road Safety, advancing applications of motorsport safety technologies to public road systems and autonomous driving.
Committed to public education, Yao has authored popular books, including a motorsport history and a karting-themed comic series, reaching millions of young readers. Recognized as one of China’s model workers in 2020, she continues to support initiatives aimed at raising awareness and advancing road safety science nationwide.