Who Is Esteban Ocon’s Race Engineer Laura Mueller, the First Female in F1 to Take the Role?

Haas made several changes to its team heading into 2025, and it wasn’t just limited to a new driver lineup. Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman’s arrivals were the more noticeable additions, but another person created history, with her work being arguably one of the most crucial in the garage on race weekends.

Laura Mueller, who has been a part of Haas since 2022, got promoted to the role of race engineer for Ocon. She created history as a result, becoming the first female in F1 to hold this position.

And there would be very few more qualified than her to do so. Hailing from the Rhine region of Germany, Mueller completed a bachelor’s and master’s degree in automotive engineering from the Technical University of Munich.

However, her interest in motorsport was born only when she spent a year in Australia, when she was taking a gap year. She became a fan of German hero and seven-time World champion Michael Schumacher.

Mueller’s first role in motorsport came as an intern for Phoenix Racing, a German team that competes in GT and endurance racing series around Europe. Thereafter, she started climbing the ranks, working for a variety of outfits in Formula Renault, World Endurance Championship, Le Mans, and DTM.

Her first opportunity in F1—the pinnacle of motorsport—however, was handed to her by Haas. The 33-year-old initially worked in the simulator department of the Kannapolis-based outfit before working her way into the paddock, eventually becoming a performance engineer in 2024.

But when team principal Ayao Komatsu decided that big decisions had to be made to take the team to the next level, Mueller was picked to become the voice in Ocon’s ear during races.

It’s her job to guide the Frenchman through the 24 race weekends in the calendar, and communicate seamlessly to make sure he is aware of how the car is performing, and what needs to be done to optimize his results.

Bittersweet for Mueller to become Ocon’s race engineer

F1 remains a male-dominated sport. Even today, after years of efforts by the FIA and other organizations to promote and encourage more women in the sport, the unfortunate reality is that women in prominent positions are still rare.

One such name other than Mueller who has managed to break this glass ceiling is Hannah Schmitz. She’s a noticeable figure on the Red Bull pit wall, as Head of Strategy for the Milton Keynes-based outfit. However, as far as Mueller is concerned, there should be more names in the limelight, such as hers and Schmitz’s.

“For me, being the first female race engineer in F1 is actually quite sad. But I think the problem with that is just representation,” she said during an interview last month on International Women’s Day.

Looking at the positives, she added, “So if my face being on TV can make girls and young women think they can achieve this too, I’m actually quite happy.” Hopefully, more young girls will be inspired by Mueller’s journey and dream of one day making it to F1.