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Laura Mueller Shares Insights on Thriving as Ocon’s Race Engineer

Highlights

  • Laura Mueller became F1’s first female race engineer in January 2025.
  • Mueller oversees Esteban Ocon’s race weekends at Haas.
  • Australian GP corner named after Mueller in early 2025.
  • Mueller and Ocon built strong partnership ahead of 2026 season.
  • Team Principal Komatsu praised Mueller’s problem-solving and analysis skills.
  • Mueller advocates for diversity and perseverance in motorsport engineering.

Laura Mueller became Formula 1’s first female race engineer in January 2025, taking charge of Esteban Ocon’s Haas programme. Eighteen months on, she shapes the team’s race-weekend execution and culture.

Her impact is visible beyond Haas. A corner at the Australian Grand Prix now carries her name, underlining how quickly her work earns recognition inside the paddock.

Mueller joined Haas in 2022 as a simulator engineer, then stepped up to performance engineer. Promotion to race engineer followed naturally, built on similar responsibilities in other categories.

International Women’s Day motorsport feature image
Image Credit: International Women’s Day

Familiarity with Haas streamlined the transition. “I already knew the team, the key contacts, and how everything works,” Mueller said, allowing her to focus immediately on performance rather than process.

Mueller became F1’s first female race engineer in January 2025, leading Esteban Ocon’s Haas race programme.

Her partnership with Ocon matured across 2025, providing a stable baseline before new regulations land for the 2026 season. That continuity strengthens communication and trims operational risk.

Team principal Ayao Komatsu highlights a strong personality fit and process discipline. He praises Mueller’s refusal to accept first answers, pushing deeper with data to refine conclusions and unlock lap time.

Komatsu praises Mueller’s habit of probing beyond first answers, refining analysis to unlock car performance.

Mueller thrives on the investigative side of race engineering. She balances evolving conditions, red flags, and session resets, keeping decision-making agile while maintaining clear feedback loops to the driver.

Women in motorsport representation
Image Credit: Mat Foundry Group

The trailblazing role increased scrutiny. Early on, Haas helped limit obligations so Mueller could bed into procedures and priorities, reducing the strain of heightened media pressure.

Mueller stresses visibility’s importance after growing up without clear role models. She welcomes a broader pipeline of women in technical roles, supported by industry efforts like the Motorsports Engineering Symposium.

“Don’t take s*** from anyone. If you want something, go for it.” — Laura Mueller

Her advice to aspiring engineers is straightforward: persevere, build confidence, and back your preparation. As 2026 unfolds, the Mueller–Ocon axis continues to sharpen Haas’s racecraft under evolving regulations.

Visual Summary



First Woman
Race Engineer in F1

Laura Mueller is rewriting the rules—leading the charge at Haas, inspiring a new era of possibility for women in motorsport engineering.

2022
’25

2026

Mueller’s evolution: Simulator ➔ Performance ➔ Race Engineer

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Honored with ‘Mueller Corner’ — Australian GP


“Don’t take s*** from anyone. If you want something, go for it.”
— Laura Mueller

Daniel miller author image

Daniel Miller reports on Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends with race-day analysis, team-radio highlights, and point-standings updates. He explains power-unit upgrades, aerodynamic developments, and driver rivalries in straightforward, SEO-friendly language for a global F1 audience.

Daniel miller author image
Daniel Miller

Daniel Miller reports on Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends with race-day analysis, team-radio highlights, and point-standings updates. He explains power-unit upgrades, aerodynamic developments, and driver rivalries in straightforward, SEO-friendly language for a global F1 audience.

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