As Max Verstappen’s strategist, Hannah Schmitz plays a crucial part in his pursuit of a second world championship. Her choices determine whether she wins or loses in difficult situations. She is also one of the rare female members of the royal class who holds a high position.
Following the highly anticipated Monaco Grand Prix, which saw a Red Bull driver win the race for the third time in four years, Helmut Marko hardly said anything about his drivers. The CEO of Max Verstappen’s Formula 1 team mentioned Hannah Schmitz’s name in front of almost every camera.
She “kept calm and made the right decision at the right time” throughout a challenging race that featured rain and unfavourable circumstances, Marko grinned. As a result, Verstappen finished ahead of Charles Leclerc, the faster Ferrari competitor. It displays Schmitz’s portion of Verstappen’s huge lead (63 points) in the World Cup standings that he had already accrued prior to the Formula 1 summer break, which begins in Hungary following the race on Sunday.
The mention of Schmitz was not unprecedented. 2019 saw the British team witherstappen V able to share the podium following a win in Brazil. The crew made this impromptu decision because Schmitz ventured to start Verstappen as the race leader in the last lap of that competition. Although he lost the lead for a while, this move proved to be essential for winning.
These are the contests where Schmitz can set himself apart. She enters the picture when things get chaotic or face adversity. It is during these moments that she makes decisions about pit stop window (the best time to switch tyres) and undercut (gaining position by stopping extra early).
Schmitz has to improvise a lot. For instance, the competition may proceed more quickly than anticipated if Verstappen’s tyres prove to be more durable than predicted, or if a crash or rain delay causes the race to begin. She doesn’t have much time to reflect; she needs to make decisions quickly to avoid losing out on possible advantages.
Schmitz stated last month on Red Bull’s website that she places her palms flat on the pit wall’s desk during those times. “Someone once tipped me that you come across as clearer and more compelling when you say something.” It takes her twenty seconds on average to determine if she made the appropriate choice. “That seems very short, but in a race it sometimes feels like an eternity.”
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