HANNAH SCHMITZ Overcame Team Doubts to Deliver Verstappen’s Qatar Victory

November 30, 2025

• Red Bull’s principal strategy engineer HANNAH SCHMITZ stood firm against internal doubts when McLaren kept both drivers out during the Qatar GP safety car period. While her colleagues questioned the pit call after seeing the McLarens stay on track, Schmitz trusted her pre-race analysis and doubled down on the two-stop strategy that ultimately delivered Verstappen’s victory.
• SCHMITZ had identified lap seven as the critical safety car window where Red Bull needed to pit both cars, knowing the massive time advantage of cheap pitstops under caution. When the safety car emerged exactly on that lap after the Hulkenberg-Gasly clash, she executed the plan despite real-time pressure from the team questioning her decision as they watched McLaren’s different approach unfold.
• The strategic masterstroke highlighted how McLaren’s ‘papaya rules’ designed for driver fairness might have backfired spectacularly. SCHMITZ suggested that McLaren’s reluctance to favor one driver over another in the pit decision may have cost them the race, as Red Bull capitalized on their indecision to gain the track position that led to a comfortable Verstappen win and boosted his title chances.

formula 1, formula 1 qatar grand prix, mclaren, oracle red bull racing