F1 changes gears,women slip into fast lane

In F1’s environs,however,the biggest and most notable jump has been the presence of women crew members like Morgan — from the greasy workspace of the pit lane to the business end of the once male-dominated sport. And none exemplify this change more than the person at the very top of F1’s hierarchy — Monisha Kaltenborn,the Indian-born woman who became the first ever female team principal in F1’s history.

During a meeting on Friday,Sauber’s Kaltenborn was symbolically placed between the five gentlemen responsible for calling the shots in their respective teams — Ferrari,Red Bull,McLaren,Lotus and Caterham.

Asked how it feels to be the “first lady of Formula One”,she replied: “That’s for the others to say… but proud,of course.” Also proud were the people at the Buddh International Circuit.

Born Monisha Narang in Dehradun,Kaltenborn,41,represents two minorities in the sport — Indians and women. “What I really hope is that this can encourage more girls to think of motorsports as a full-time profession,that’s a great achievement,” she said.

And she has encouraged a few,like Ferrari’s lubricants manager Cara Tredget. With a PhD in chemistry from the University of Oxford,Tredget was always interested in its application in the real world. She was also interested in F1. “So the two just came together,” said Tredget.

But wasn’t she intimidated by the men at Maranello,Ferrari’s home base? “Initially yes,but with women like Monisha,who occupy positions of real importance within a team in F1,things are beginning to change,” she replied.

The change is evident. Take Marussia-Cosworth for instance. The control systems engineer,responsible for the programmable chassis handling of the car,was always a man’s job. From this year on,Gemma Lawrence is handling it. “So everything,from things like how the oil is interacting with the car to the positioning of the steering wheel to monitoring the health of the gear box is handled by me,” said Lawrence. “It is a job that keeps me very busy,and the car very active.”

So how did Lawrence,a girl from the posh end of London,end up with a critical role in an F1 team? “My dad was a kart fanatic. He taught me to read numbers on spanners when I was still in kindergarten so that I could fetch his tools from the shed,” she said. “F1 made perfect career sense ever since I interned for a week with Jordan in 1999. I feel at home in a garage.”

Just as Morgan does in HRT’s. When not responsible for maintenance on a stationary car,Morgan also changes the front right tyre during a race. “It feels normal,to be honest. I don’t think it is any different to what other women are capable of in other walks of life,” said Morgan,who did her graduation in motorsports engineering. “When you’ve been doing something for nine years,it happens naturally.”