Laura Mueller becomes first female race engineer in F1

Dominika Jordan
Jan 21, 2025, 04:10 AM ET

Laura Mueller makes history as F1's first female race engineer with Haas and Esteban Ocon.

Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool

Laura Mueller makes history as first female race engineer in F1.

In a groundbreaking move for the sport, Laura Mueller is set to become Formula 1's first female race engineer this season as part of a significant overhaul at Haas' trackside engineering team. Mueller will be working directly with Esteban Ocon, who joined Haas from Alpine over the winter. Carine Cridelich, another experienced professional, will join from Racing Bulls as the new head of strategy starting in March.

Despite the notable rise in female engineers holding senior positions in F1, Mueller's new role marks the first instance of a woman stepping into the pivotal position of race engineer. Promoted from her former role as a performance engineer, Mueller will now lead the engineering team on Ocon's car.

The role of a race engineer is highly visible and crucial, as they maintain frequent communication with drivers over team radio and manage the car's overall performance. Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu praised Mueller's extraordinary work ethic and determination. "She's a pretty determined character," Komatsu noted. "Her work ethic is really, really good. So she's going to be Esteban's race engineer."

Komatsu emphasized that Mueller's promotion was based solely on her capabilities and performance rather than her gender. "We don't care about nationality, gender -- it really doesn't matter because what matters is work. How you can fit into the team, how you can maximize the performance," he added.

In an effort to strengthen its team, Haas has also made several other significant appointments. Ronan O'Hare has been promoted to work directly with the team's other new driver, Ollie Bearman. Additionally, Francesco Nenci has joined from Audi's Dakar Rally team as chief race engineer, and Mark Lowe has rejoined the team as sporting director.

Haas' new head of strategy, Carine Cridelich, will officially start on March 1. Komatsu revealed that the team had been searching for the right candidate for a long time. "We've been looking for head of strategy for a long, long time," he said.

The upcoming season for Haas will kick off with a shakedown of its 2025 car during a filming day at Silverstone on February 16, which will be followed by a second filming day in Bahrain on February 24. Pre-season testing is scheduled to occur between February 26 and 28. Despite Esteban Ocon running the new car on the track, the team will not release any images until after Formula 1's 75th anniversary launch event on February 18, where all ten teams will reveal their 2025 liveries.

Reflecting on the previous season, Komatsu stated that continuing the team's consistent results would be their primary objective for 2025. "We finished P7 last year. In the history of Haas, across the years I don't think we've been competitive across seasons in a similar manner," he said.

Komatsu remains optimistic yet cautious about the upcoming season, anticipating stiff competition from several teams. "I'd like to continue that level of consistency. But I only expect competition to be tighter this year. Alpine, Williams, Sauber, and RB -- they are all going to be better as well," he concluded.