Haas appoint Laura Muller as 1st female race engineer
21 Jan 2025

In a historic move, US-based Formula 1 team Haas have appointed Laura Muller as the sport's first female race engineer.

The German professional will be working with Esteban Ocon, another new addition to the team.

The groundbreaking appointment is a part of Haas's broader restructuring plan for their race operations team.

Haas boost female representation in strategic roles
Gender diversity

Apart from Muller's appointment, Haas have further bolstered female representation by hiring Carine Cridelich as their new head of strategy.

Cridelich, who used to work with Red Bull Racing previously, will assume her role on March 1.

Meanwhile, the head of strategy plays a pivotal role in the team, working closely with the team's engineers and drivers to develop and execute a robust race strategy.

Team principal emphasizes merit over gender in appointments
Meritocracy

Haas's team principal Ayao Komatsu stressed that Muller's appointment was on merit and not because she is a woman.

He said, "It's not like I chose Laura because she's female. We just don't care - nationality, gender, doesn't matter."

Komatsu added that what matters is work ethic and how well can one improve and contribute to the team's performance.

Haas introduce new roles in race operations team
Team restructuring

Haas have restructured its race operations team, introducing a sporting director and chief race engineer—positions unfilled last season.

Meanwhile, Francesco Nenci, formerly with Audi's Dakar Rally program and with F1 experience at Sauber and Toyota, takes over as chief race engineer.

Additionally, on the other hand, Mark Lowe transitions from operations team manager to sporting director.

Haas's unique operational structure and future plans
Operational strategy

Haas run a lean in-house structure through its partnership with Ferrari, using their wind tunnel and getting most of the car parts from them.

Despite finishing seventh overall last year, team principal Komatsu is all about consistency for the upcoming season.

He expressed ambitions to further improve the team's performance despite their limited resources, saying he wants to compete with teams like Williams on merit alone.

Highlights from Haas's 2024 F1 season
2024 season recap

The Haas F1 team finished seventh in the Constructors championship accumulating 58 points during the 2024 F1 season.

Meanwhile, among the team's drivers, Nico Hulkenberg finished 11th in the driver standings with 41 points followed by Kevin Magnussen with 16 points (15th position).

Notably, Haas' rookie driver Oliver Bearman finished with seven points from his three races ending up in 18th place.

However, with the latest changes to the team, Haas would be looking to make a strong comeback.