Haas have appointed Laura Muller as the first female race engineer in the history of Formula 1, Afrosport reports.
The 33-year-old German has been part of the American outfit since 2022 and will work with new driver Esteban Ocon during the 2025 season.
The promotion of Laura Muller marks a significant milestone in F1 but Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu says it has nothing to do with her gender or nationality but the work she has put in with the team.
“It’s not like I chose Laura because she’s female. We just don’t care – nationality, gender, doesn’t matter,” he said per the F1 website.
“What matters is work, how you fit into the team, how you can maximise the performance – and Ronan and Laura I believe happen to be the best choice.”
Haas’ Laura Mueller becomes the first female Race Engineer in Formula 1 history 👩💻#F1 pic.twitter.com/DYcoui5gUR
— Formula 1 (@F1) January 21, 2025
Haas’ first head of race strategy will also be a woman in Carine Cridelich, who will start the position on March 1 after leaving Racing Bulls.
Meanwhile, Ronan O’Hare will be the race engineer for rookie Oliver Bearman having previously worked as a performance engineer for Williams.
Haas have also brought in ex-Sauber engineer Francesco Nenci as chief race engineer while Mark Lowe has been promoted from operations team manager to sporting director.
These moves are part of a shake-up in the Haas race team staff organisation ahead of the 2025 F1 campaign which was in response to a weak trackside team the previous year.
Haas lost sixth place in the constructors’ championship last season after a late surge from Alpine and ultimately ended in seventh place.
