Hannah Schmitz’s decision on the seventh lap of the Qatar Grand Prix changed the course of the World Championship: here’s who the strategic mind behind Verstappen’s success in Doha is.
In Formula 1, there are many variables that can lead a driver to the top step of the podium: from talent to the quality of the car, and from the work of the pit wall to its strategies. At the Lusail circuit in Qatar, Max Verstappen achieved his seventh win of the season, dangerously closing in on Lando Norris – the current championship leader – with only 12 points now separating the Dutchman and the Brit; a result that is due not only to the Red Bull driver’s skill but also to a strategic call made by his engineer, Hannah Schmitz, postponing the decision of the world title to Abu Dhabi this Sunday.
On the seventh lap of the penultimate race of the season in Qatar, the British strategist took advantage of the safety car, deployed after the collision between Hulkenberg and Gasly at the first corner, asking her driver to pit to complete the first stop, allowing Verstappen to secure his third consecutive victory in Doha. The decision was even acknowledged during the podium ceremony, with Schmitz stepping onto the podium alongside Max Verstappen to receive the constructors’ award.
In an interview with Viaplay, Schmitz explained the background of the strategy: “We studied it before the race; that was exactly the moment when the safety car and virtual safety car windows were opening, and that was the plan. So, if the safety car came out on the seventh lap, we would have brought both cars into the pits. There is such an advantage in pitting under the safety car when you need to do two pit stops that, for us, it was clear it was the right thing to do. And I think many in the pit lane felt the same way “.
Who is Schmitz?
Born in Caterham, United Kingdom, Hannah Schmitz graduated from the University of Cambridge in Mathematical Engineering. Part of the Milton Keynes team since 2009, she joined the Austrian outfit first as an Internal Student, then became a key figure in Red Bull’s strategic team, replacing Will Courtenay as Principal Strategy Engineer in 2024.
Among the most famous strategies that established her as a reference point within the team are: the 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix, where the Dutchman – starting tenth on soft tires due to an aggressive pit-wall choice – managed to fight back to victory, and the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix, when she gambled on a third pit stop for Verstappen, a move that proved winning.
The precedents of a woman on the Formula 1 podium
Schmitz’s presence on the Qatar Grand Prix podium was not just an isolated case; however, it remains a rare event in Formula 1 history, which, to be fair, is beginning to make increasingly concrete steps toward female inclusion in motorsport. Before her, Britta Seeger had stepped onto the podium at the 2019 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, won by Lewis Hamilton, and later, Louise McEwen, McLaren Racing’s marketing director, was present on the podium at the 2025 Miami Grand Prix, a victory secured by Oscar Piastri.
Photo: Formula 1.
