Technical specifications and intended functionalities are often gathered in documents that include requirements written in constrained natural language, that is, natural‐like language with restricted syntax. In the automotive industry one challenge is the ability to produce safe vehicles, emphasizing the importance of safety by design. In the framework of case studies based on functions of autonomous vehicles, we introduce a systematic process for building formal models from automotive requirements written in constrained natural language, and for verifying them. By allowing formal verification at the earliest stages of the development cycle our aim is to avoid the costly discovery of errors at later stages.