There’s no set path to reach your goals. And if anyone has set themselves apart from the standard and made a name for themselves, it’s Hannah Schmitz. In the male-dominated world of Formula 1, Schmitz found her passion, worked towards achieving it, and is now one of the most reputed names in the paddock. What does she do? She’s the Principal Strategy Engineer for Red Bull Racing. 

If there’s one thing Red Bull is known for apart from its sub-two-second pitstops, it’s the team’s strategies. And Hannah Schmitz heads that department. She joined the Milton Keynes team in 2009 as a Modelling and Simulation Engineer and quickly realized how much strategy interested her. In less than two years, she gained the expertise to become part of the Strategy team and is now an undisputed queen of it.

Daniel Ricciardo Reacts in Appreciation to Hannah Schmitz’s Strategic Brilliance

If the 20 male drivers and the 20 male team principals are anything to go by, F1 is a male-dominated field with just a handful of women working in the sport. But the past few years have seen a rise in women’s representation in almost all areas of the sport. As part of its initiative to improve women’s representation and recognize their work, Red Bull celebrated International Women In Engineering Day (June 23rd) by inviting three women to discuss their roles on its Talking Bull podcast.

In the episode featuring Schmitz, she was asked how she got into the Principal Strategy role. One good thing about F1 roles—at least when it comes to the car—is that they are interconnected. Schmitz explained, “It’s just all about problem-solving and enjoying that strategic way of thinking.”

Hannah explained how she had a knack for thinking strategically be it even in ball games. Thus, she further added how this natural trait got nurtured at RBR. She said, “When I started at Red Bull, I got to know people that worked in the strategy department and became friends with them socially and then learned more and more about the role.”

Daniel Ricciardo, now Red Bull’s reserve driver, raced for the team from 2014 to 2018. Having worked with Schmitz for all five years and achieving seven wins in the process, he knows she played a monumental role in his success at the team. And he showed that appreciation on LinkedIn. Under the video Red Bull posted, Ricciardo commented, “👏,” commending Schmitz for everything she did for him in the past and everything she has and is doing to help the team succeed.

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Red Bull celebrated International Women In Engineering Day on June 23rd, but it also celebrated another event in June.

Red Bull celebrates Pride Month

June is celebrated as Pride Month around the globe, and F1 teams joined in on the celebrations. Red Bull recently became a part of Racing Pride, an international group that promotes LGBTQ+ inclusion in the motorsport industry. And as part of its initiative, it invited Racing Pride ambassadors to talk to their staff about why inclusion is essential. 

Christian Hewgill, co-host of the Fast And The Curious Podcast, was one of the ambassadors invited. While talking about inclusion in the F1 workspace, he said, “in the younger generation, up to a third of the people identify in some way as LGBTQ. If you have an environment where you don’t feel like you can be that in a workplace, from an F1 perspective, you’re missing out on talent.” Red Bull has started making efforts to improve inclusion in Milton Keynes after Hewgill’s suggestions. 

What do you think of Hannah Schmitz’s journey in Red Bull?

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