Hannah Schmitz means everything to Max Verstappen
When you think of Max Verstappen and a woman, Kelly Piquet immediately comes to mind. Or his mother. And of course his little daughter. But there is another woman that Max Verstappen thinks about multiple times a day and who undoubtedly is on his favorites list: Hannah Schmitz. Yesterday she even stood next to him on the podium after Max won the Formula 1 in Qatar. That makes people curious, because Hannah Schmitz is trending on Google. And in the category ‘you ask, we play’, I dove into the subject for a moment.
Who is Hannah Schmitz?
Hannah is the forty-year-old chief engineer of Red Bull and the master strategist of Max Verstappen. Did you see that Max went to the pit lane for a tire change during the safety car yesterday? That was actually Hannah Schmitz. During the Grand Prix of Spain last year, she was also the one who put Max on new tires in lap 17, while Lando Norris only got them in lap 23. This allowed Verstappen to extend his lead for five laps on fresh tires. That turned out to be enough for the win, with just 2.21 seconds ahead of Norris.
And in 2019, during the Grand Prix of Brazil, she brought Max into the pit for a third time. As a result, he had to give up the lead and come back behind Hamilton. But partly due to that decision, he ultimately did win the race.
If you want to read more strategic feats from Hannah, I lovingly refer you to her Wikipedia page. Because I certainly don't make all this up myself. Don't overestimate my knowledge of Formula 1. But she is a genius. And so young still.
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Hannah Schmitz and Red Bull
Hannah has been working at Red Bull since 2009. She was only 24 years old then and slowly but surely worked her way up to one of the most important women in Formula 1. In 2022, she became the first woman to receive the Female Engineer of the Year award. The love for cars was already there when she was a little girl. Although she was also crazy about water polo. Still, cars won and she chose to study mechanical engineering at the University of Cambridge after high school.
Even during her studies, she did remarkable things. For example, she participated in the World Solar Challenge, a biennial race for cars powered by solar energy, over a distance of 3021 kilometers. It won't surprise you that she fulfilled the role of team leader within that team.
Today, after the unexpected victory in Qatar that suddenly makes the chance of becoming world champion real again, she responded to the choices she made with a confident: “I think I am always right.” And to be honest, we believe that too.
The lesson from Hannah Schmitz
In a world where men still often call the shots, Hannah is a role model. Especially for women with similar ambitions. That’s why she is actively working in her little free time to inspire the new generation to do what you want. She tries to get people excited about a job in Formula 1, or engineering in general. Recently, at the invitation of her old teacher, she was a guest at her former girls' school, Croydon High School, to talk about her work. And on International Women’s Day, she reflected on all the women who inspire her every day. Especially in motorsport. But also with her two little daughters, who encourage her every day to be the best version of herself.
What we can learn from her
You don't have to be a driver or work in motorsport to learn something from Hannah Schmitz. Having the courage to make decisions, believing in your own choices, and taking responsibility even when things turn out differently than you hoped. That might be her greatest strength. And we could all use that, right?
Bravo Hannah. And good luck on Sunday.
