Who Are the Women Who Keep the Grid Moving in Formula 1?
Formula 1 is famous for its roaring engines and drivers. However, the real engine of the sport is often hidden behind the scenes, out of sight of the camera. While the spotlight is on the track, women across the paddock are quietly redefining what it means to keep an F1 team running at full throttle. They’re strategists, engineers calculating split-second decisions. Take Hannah Schmitz, Red Bull’s Principal Strategy Engineer. She earned this title through her sharp mind and quick decision-making, which have been just as crucial to securing victories as the car's engine. Behind her are dozens more, including Laura Müller, who became one of Formula 1’s first full-time female race engineers when she was promoted at Haas ahead of the 2025 season. Together, these women are reshaping what the garage looks like.
In a world where a single wheel gun slip can cost a podium position, women like Emmie Jones, Red Bull’s first female mechanic, are showing that precision and endurance have no gender. Her journey highlights the importance of diverse perspectives in achieving success. Programs like the FIA’s 'Girls on Track' often open the door to these roles. They give young women, aged 12 to 18, hands-on experience in motorsport, helping the next generation. These programs help women break barriers and shine in a traditionally male-dominated sport.
Behind the scenes, women are working as logistics managers, data analysts, and aerodynamic engineers to keep the cars in motion. Women like Krystina Emmanouilides, a Computational Fluid Dynamics engineer, spend their days building virtual models of airflow that determine whether a car cuts through the air or fights against it. Her work ensures that every aerodynamic detail is at its peak performance. However, it's not just about airflow. Women also play a key role in running F1’s international logistics. Samantha Pape, Head of Formula 1 Logistics & Communications, directs the movement of equipment, making sure everything arrives on time for race weekends. Without them, the show stops. They prove that innovation doesn't always wear a race suit; it wears a headset, a laptop, or a clipboard.
The rise of women in Formula 1 isn’t just a trend; it’s the sport growing into something more inclusive. The grid is no longer just 20 men behind the wheel anymore; it’s a team of thousands, and more of those faces are becoming women who refuse to sit in the stands. Their work reminds fans that speed is built piece by piece, not born, crafted by minds and hands that will never stop pushing. One day, the phrase “first woman to…” will disappear, not because women stopped breaking barriers, but because they’re everywhere.
