Oracle Red Bull Racing’s Principal Strategy Engineer Hannah Schmitz has been working with the team since joining as an intern in 2009. Together with Head of Race Strategy Will Courtenay and a skilled team, they were the strategy architects that were a large contributor towards Max Verstappen claiming his first FIA Formula One World Championship title last season.
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In the cutting-edge technological era of Formula One, outcomes are decided in milliseconds and every single choice made could be the difference between winning or losing. No amount of research can ever fully prepare you for what transpires in a race full of yellow and red flags, crashes, penalties and unreliable weather. When and how many times to pit, what tyres to use, when to attack or maintain pace and when the drivers should work together are all crucial decisions based on data.
The University of Cambridge graduate in mechanical engineering works with a large team of analysts who processes billions of simulations before each race and live at each Grand Prix on car pace, track conditions and tyre degradation to enhance team strategy and work out pit stops.
At the recent Monaco Grand Prix, the team orchestrated the pit-stop plan which ultimately led to Sergio Pérez taking the chequered flag and Max Verstappen clinching a podium place.
Monaco’s strategy was a bold and proactive move that prompted Dr Helmut Marko to say afterwards: “We were all exceptional, but if we won, it was mainly due to Hannah.
Being adaptable and having to instantly react to live scenarios is the part of Schmitz’s job that undoubtedly brings her the most pressure, but also the most adrenaline. Schmitz said: “I think it’s incredibly exciting. You sit on the edge of your seat when you’ve made that split-second decision. Then you have maybe 20 seconds, which doesn’t sound like any time, but in a race sitting there waiting to see if your decision has paid…
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