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German Laura Müller, the only female race engineer in Formula One, is fine with drivers shouting at her but says wholesale criticism of the team is disrespectful.
She has worked at Haas since 2022 and was promoted to be Esteban Ocon's race engineer at the start of last year. She is his main point of contact during races, meaning she tells him race strategy and when to pit.
"It does not bother me if he shouts at me," she laughs in an interview with dpa ahead of this weekend's British Grand Prix. "The problem is that it is hard to understand what someone is saying (when they shout).
"What is not on at all for me is when drivers deliver fundamental criticisms after a session. Because that is always also directed at all the employees in the factory and it's disrespectful to them."
Haas, who debuted in 2016, are making progress and sit seventh out of 11 teams this season. Müller makes sure Frenchman Ocon knows exactly what he has to do in the fast-paced world of F1.
"In a session I keep it short and phrase things precisely. Esteban is not particularly good at reading between the lines. That means you always have to be very clear and unambiguous so he does not have to interpret a statement or question," she said.
Müller is seen as an F1 pioneer but would have wanted to break even more barriers by actually racing in the sport. The lack of a role model as a child held her back - only two woman have ever driven in a Formula One race.
"My dream as a child was always to become a racing driver and make it in Formula One. But I had zero background in karting, my parents did not either. In the end it was not really on because you also need quite a lot of money for it," she said.
"But in the back of my mind it was always a bit like how children dream of becoming an astronaut one day. So I think it would have been a more realistic dream with a role model."
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She has worked at Haas since 2022 and was promoted to be Esteban Ocon's race engineer at the start of last year. She is his main point of contact during races, meaning she tells him race strategy and when to pit.
"It does not bother me if he shouts at me," she laughs in an interview with dpa ahead of this weekend's British Grand Prix. "The problem is that it is hard to understand what someone is saying (when they shout).
"What is not on at all for me is when drivers deliver fundamental criticisms after a session. Because that is always also directed at all the employees in the factory and it's disrespectful to them."
Haas, who debuted in 2016, are making progress and sit seventh out of 11 teams this season. Müller makes sure Frenchman Ocon knows exactly what he has to do in the fast-paced world of F1.
"In a session I keep it short and phrase things precisely. Esteban is not particularly good at reading between the lines. That means you always have to be very clear and unambiguous so he does not have to interpret a statement or question," she said.
Müller is seen as an F1 pioneer but would have wanted to break even more barriers by actually racing in the sport. The lack of a role model as a child held her back - only two woman have ever driven in a Formula One race.
"My dream as a child was always to become a racing driver and make it in Formula One. But I had zero background in karting, my parents did not either. In the end it was not really on because you also need quite a lot of money for it," she said.
"But in the back of my mind it was always a bit like how children dream of becoming an astronaut one day. So I think it would have been a more realistic dream with a role model."
Continue reading...
