William tries 'fantastic' replica Formula E car

The Prince of Wales has tried out a "fantastic" replica of a racing car, as he joked about drivers being replaced by artificial intelligence (AI).

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

Antonio Felix da Costa, the 2020 Formula E (FE) world champion, offered him the chance to sit behind the wheel of a development car, identical to the team's current model.

The prince, who is known to have an interest in the environment, asked questions about sustainability - something he described as "incredible" - and told engineers they were "doing very well".

"There's not a lot of room in the legs, is there?" joked the prince, who stands at 6ft 3in (1.91m), as he settled into the car.

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

Before getting out of the car, the prince thanked the driver, adding: "That's fantastic."

He told young Jaguar TCS Racing graduate engineers that he had joked with their colleagues earlier about the driver becoming "the weak link", considering the many innovations in the sport.

"[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?" he added.

Head of technical integrations Jack Lambert, who gave the prince a tour of the premises, joked that his height could make racing in the car uncomfortable.

"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," he said.

"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."

Speaking to 22-year-old graduate Phoebe Russell, the prince remarked that motorsport was "not necessarily the first thing women would think about joining".

"Was it easy for you to find your way into this world?", he asked, to which she replied "not at all", adding that she had exposure to the sport as a child.

Speaking after the visit, Russell said she was "in shock" after meeting the prince.

"Being asked to do a little career talk was very exciting,"she said.

"The fact that he had so much awareness of the sport and so much interest, and it ties into his whole sustainability project, it was very interesting."

Prince William wished the team luck ahead of their races in Berlin next month, saying: "I'm very excited to see you racing, I'm going to cheer you guys on."