Red Bull's strategy wizard Hannah Schmitz shares her honest opinion on the importance of role models in F1 for women

Red Bull's Principal Strategy Engineer, Hannah Schmitz, has pulled back the curtain on the importance of role models in F1 for women that are trying to make it in the sport. When we talk about the Formula 1 paddock, one thing that stands out more than anything else is the fact that it is mostly a male-dominated environment.

All of the team principals in F1 are male. Most of the senior personnel in teams do not have much of a mix in terms of having female counterparts. In all of this, Schmitz has been one of the shining examples of someone who has been able to establish herself and create a niche at Red Bull.

Known for her strategic brilliance, she's set the mark within the team. At the same time, there is a lingering question that someone like Hannah Schmitz is asked when it comes to a lack of diversity in F1. Talking to Motorsport, the Red Bull employee felt that a lot of it comes down to a lack of role models in the sport.

For anyone aspiring to be in F1, the mindset that only a middle-class white man could make their way to the paddock is what needs to be broken. She said,

“When I first started, I almost didn't want people to think of me as a woman or it wasn't like I was trying to be a man, but my gender doesn't impact my ability to do my job. And so, my gender isn't really something that needs to be a factor when I'm at work. But then I just felt like diversity would improve. It's just taking a bit longer in this industry."

She added:

“But I realized that actually it doesn't just seem to happen. And so, we do need to be role models and kind of shout about how great the job is. I absolutely love my job, how great it is and how you can do this. You don't have to be a middle-class white man to be able to do the job.”

Red Bull's Hannah Schmitz on the importance of having that extra encouragement

While Hannah has made it to one of the top positions at Red Bull, not many have been able to make it as we still see a very homogenous crowd when we're talking about a team. According to Schmitz, it does come down to ultimately having that extra encouragement and motivation to not give up and continuing to push. She said:

“I think most of the career advice is that when we do panels and other things, people say not to give up at the first try. So not to just think, oh, I'm not good enough. That's why I didn't get in. It takes a lot of people doing going the extra mile, like networking, trying to get people's names, those kind of things."

She added:

“Or phoning up the hiring manager and being like, have you seen my CV? Things like that. So that's a lot of what you hear for people that ended up getting in the industry. [It] was like having that bit of extra encouragement or going that extra mile to get there, which obviously [you] shouldn't need to do, but it does seem to be. But there still aren't really that many role models.”

Just like Calum Nicholas from Red Bull who has been able to break the glass ceiling, Hannah Schmitz has been one of the glowing examples of someone who has made it to the sport and become a role model.