It is no secret that motorsport has traditionally been a male-dominant environment. From drivers to team principals, engineers, and even fans, a lot of these positions have been occupied by men. However, with societal shifts and more inclusion, women are finding their way in to showcase their passion and talent.
Today, we celebrate International Women’s Day, and what better time to highlight the woman who made history by becoming the first-ever female Race Engineer in 75 years of Formula 1.
The woman in question is Laura Müller, a 33-year-old from Germany with a passion for motorsport, who showed every little girl that anything is possible.
Dreaming of becoming a Formula 1 driver as a kid, her path took a different turn. After graduating from the Technical University of Munich with both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in automotive engineering, Mueller chose the path of becoming an engineer.
Her first contact with the motorsport world in terms of work came in 2014 at Phoenix Racing, working as an intern, primarily handling data and driver analytics. However, her engineering journey truly began in Formula Renault 2.0, becoming an engineer for Josef Kaufmann, data engineer for JS Engineering BVBA and later on a data engineer for Lucas di Grassi.
After a few years, Müller moved to the WEC Series, once again taking on roles as a data and performance engineer. In 2021, she took the next step as a race engineer in DTM, and in 2022, Müller reached the pinnacle of motorsport, becoming a performance engineer for Haas.
After three years with the American team, Laura Müller made history with her promotion as the first female race engineer.
The role of race engineer is one of the most important positions on every team’s pit wall. As the main communication link between the driver and the entire team, the high intensity and pressure is not for everyone. Müller will be in Esteban Ocon’s ear. The French driver is a new addition to the team alongside Ollie Bearman, and seems very excited, stating that he feels loved and desired by his new racing family. She will also be leading the engineering team on Ocon’s car, focusing on the overall performance.
Ayao Komatsku, the team principal of Haas, highlighted Müller’s determination and hard work, which earned her the promotion in the first place. “If you look at how many female engineers we have in the office, it’s definitely more than before,” Komatsu added. “But it’s not like I chose Laura because she’s female.’’
We’ve already had a chance to see the new duo in action during the post-season test in Abu Dhabi and pre-season testing in Bahrain. However, the real deal will be the first Grand Prix in Australia, which is just a few days ahead of us.
The promotion of Laura Müller might be a small step for many people. However, it is a giant step for all Girls Who Eat, Breathe and Dream Motorsport.