How Red Bull’s Hannah Schmitz masterminded Max Verstappen’s game-changing pit call in Qatar. Red Bull strategist Hannah Schmitz reveals the story behind Max Verstappen’s decisive pit stop.

Behind Max Verstappen’s triumph through the Losail corners stands Hannah Schmitz, Red Bull’s head of strategy. A winning ace who once again maximized a golden opportunity. The call on lap seven after the Safety Car came out proved perfect, allowing the Dutchman to close the gap on Lando Norris in the championship battle.

A success worth reflecting on

Such a feat deserved recognition, and Hannah Schmitz joined Max Verstappen on the podium, where smiles were in abundance. Right after the ceremony, she spoke to ViaPlay, sharing insights on the critical pit stop:

“During the in-lap, we heard: ‘Oh, the McLaren stays out,’ and everyone was asking me: ‘Are you sure? Are you really sure you want to pit?’ and I replied: ‘Yes, absolutely!’ I was confident it was the right move,” she said. “It’s a considerable advantage to make a pit stop during the Safety Car when two stops are possible. It was obvious to us, and many people in the stands shared our view.”

The McLaren moment

On McLaren’s situation, Hannah Schmitz added: “I think they are in a very difficult position, trying to treat their drivers fairly, and I believe we are in a position to take advantage of that, so it will be tough for them. But they also have a fairly strong pace compared to the rest of the field and perhaps hoped to exploit gaps during the stops. They may also have been concerned about those 25-lap maximum stints, but I’m not part of McLaren, so I don’t know.”

The challenge will conclude in Abu Dhabi, the season finale: who will be crowned world champion? It won’t be long before we find out.

The title fight is going down to the wire, and Hannah Schmitz will be right there on the pit wall when history is made.