Saima Syeda || Issue 12 || February 4, 2025
Laura Mueller is the first female race engineer in Formula 1 and one of the reforms Haas has made to their race operations team. At the US-based squad, German Mueller will collaborate with newcomer
Esteban Ocon as one of two new race engineers. Carine Cridelich, the new head of strategy for Haas, will also be a woman. She was hired from Red Bull’s Racing Bulls squad and will begin work on March 1. As the individual who works most closely with drivers on the setup, operation, and performance of their cars, race engineers play a crucial role. On television broadcasts, their voices can be heard conversing with drivers. Ronan O’Hare, another inside hire and former performance engineer, will be Mueller’s opposite number on the vehicle of Ocon’s teammate, Oliver Bearman, a British rookie. Diversity in Formula One is growing, according to team principal Ayao Komatsu, but he also stated: “It’s not like I picked Laura because she’s female. We simply don’t give a damn; gender and nationality are irrelevant. Work, teamwork, and ability to maximize performance are what count, and Ronan and Laura, in my opinion, are the ideal candidates.” After identifying the race operations team’s shortcomings early last year, Komatsu, who was appointed team principal prior to the 2024 season, stated that he had sought to replace them. Among Haas’s adjustments are the hiring of a new chief
racing engineer and sporting director, two roles that the low-budget team lacked last season. Francesco
Nenci, the new chief race engineer, has F1 experience with Sauber and Toyota and most recently worked with Audi’s Dakar Rally program. The sporting director will be Mark Lowe, who was previously the manager of Haas’ operations team. “I felt the trackside team was one of the weakest areas last year, and the more the car became competitive that exposed it more,” Komatsu stated. “We had the fifth-fastest car the end of the year. However, we should have placed sixth [in the constructors’ championship] based on our execution, but we didn’t. “We left too many points from the trackside operation on the table, which contributed to the problem. I sorely needed a boost. Frenchwoman Cridelich follows other female strategy leaders, such as Red Bull’s main strategy engineer, Hannah
Schmitz. Former Sauber and Aston Martin employees Ruth Buscombe and Bernie Collins have now pursued careers in radio. Haas has a distinct organizational structure because of their collaboration with Ferrari, which reduces their internal activities as much as feasible. Haas designs solely the chassis and aerodynamic surfaces for their car, employs Ferrari’s wind tunnel, and has a design staff in Maranello, Italy, where they purchase almost all of the parts allowed by Ferrari’s regulations. The race team operates out of a small factory in Banbury, Oxfordshire, although their headquarters are in Kannapolis, North Carolina. According to Komatsu, Haas will have enough money this year for the
first time to meet F1’s budget cap. In order to maintain consistency with aerodynamic studies, they would also be sticking with last year’s design rather than utilizing Ferrari’s most recent modified front suspension. Komatsu stated that his goals were “set on consistency” after Haas finished seventh in the previous season, ahead of Racing Bulls, Williams, and Sauber. “In history with Haas across the
years, I don’t think we have been competitive across the seasons in a similar manner,” he stated. He went on to say that his goal was to further enhance a team that, in his opinion, was “punching above its weight” given its restricted resources. “Who only has 300 people or operates out of this kind of building?” Komatsu uttered such words. “We couldn’t possibly be defeating Williams if they were playing to their full potential. I want to reach a point where we can defeat those individuals based just on merit without any mistakes being made.
The Hudsonian 