Haas Restructures Trackside Team as Laura Mueller Becomes F1’s First Female Race Engineer

Image: Jen Ross, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Haas has made history by appointing Laura Mueller as Esteban Ocon’s race engineer, making her the first woman to hold this role in Formula 1. Mueller, who has been with the team since 2022, was promoted from her previous position as a performance engineer and will now oversee Ocon’s car during race weekends. Ocon joins Haas for the 2025 F1 season after leaving Alpine.

Mueller’s appointment is part of a major overhaul within Haas' trackside operations, as team principal Ayao Komatsu looks to strengthen the team ahead of the 2025 season. The changes also include the hiring of Carine Cridelich from Racing Bulls as head of strategy, making her the second woman in a top strategy role in F1 alongside Red Bull’s Hannah Schmitz. Haas has also promoted Ronan O’Hare to race engineer for Oliver Bearman, who will make his full-time F1 debut this season. 

Despite the significance of the milestone, Komatsu emphasized that Mueller was chosen based on merit, not gender. "It's not like I chose Laura because she's female. We just don't care - nationality, gender, doesn't matter. 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."

The team chose to promote from within rather than hiring experienced names from outside. "They have both got good potential and good determination," Komatsu said. "So we decided to promote internally because that sends a good message for everyone as well, that rather than going for some big names of experience from outside, promote [internally]. Somebody may not have enough experience to start off with, but good potential, good work ethic, good communication -- to just support each other and help.”

Nenci brought in as Chief Race Engineer and Lowe promoted to Sporting Director as Haas restructuring continues ahead of 2025 season

The restructuring doesn’t stop there. Francesco Nenci has been brought in as chief race engineer from Audi’s Dakar Rally program, and Mark Lowe has been appointed sporting director after previously working as Haas' operations team manager. Komatsu said these changes were necessary after last year’s missed opportunities in the championship. 

"I felt the trackside team was one of the weakest areas last year, and the more the car became competitive that exposed it more," Komatsu said. "Towards the end of the year we had the fifth-fastest car. But in terms of execution, we should have finished P6 [in the constructors' championship] but we didn't. Part of it was we left too many points on the table from the trackside operation. So really needed a step-up."

Komatsu hopes these changes will bring consistency to Haas’ performance. ""We finished P7 last year. In the history of Haas, across the years I don't think we've been competitive across seasons in a similar manner. For me, what was encouraging last year was our competitiveness increased through the season. Then we scored the most points in the last quarter of the year," he said. "Since Monza, we only missed a point in Brazil... I'd like to continue that level of consistency. But I only expect competition to be tighter this year, Alpine, Williams, Sauber and RB - they are all going to be better as well. So, I don't know how packed the midfield will be but I expect it to be tight."

Haas begin 2025 season with new car in February

The team will begin its 2025 campaign with a shakedown of the new car at Silverstone on February 16th, though no images will be released until after F1’s 75th-anniversary launch event on February 18th. Haas will then have a second filming day in Bahrain on February 24th, before pre-season testing starts on February 26th.

Haas’ unique relationship with Ferrari, which provides most of the car's components, will continue in 2025. However, the team has chosen not to adopt Ferrari’s redesigned front suspension, opting instead for stability in their aerodynamic research.

With Mueller’s groundbreaking appointment, a refreshed race operations team, and a new driver lineup, Haas is gearing up for what they hope will be a competitive season in the ever-tightening midfield battle.