Ocon hails productive partnership with Haas engineer Laura Mueller

Esteban Ocon has spoken in glowing terms about his early working relationship with Haas race engineer Laura Mueller, describing her as a “very impressive” figure behind the scenes in Formula 1.

Mueller, who became the first full-time female race engineer in the sport after being promoted from her previous role as Performance Engineer, has quickly made her mark at Haas – and earned the admiration of the French driver.

Following Ocon’s move from Alpine to Haas for the 2025 season, the 28-year-old has found himself in a fresh environment, one where dedication and determination are shared values.

Speaking on F1’s Beyond The Grid podcast, Ocon opened up about the work dynamic he has developed with Mueller and how her commitment has set the tone for their collaboration.

A Tireless Work Ethic

“It's been great to work with Laura,” Ocon said. “She’s really a great engineer. She’s been having a lot of experience in a lot of different categories.

“She's done DTM, I've done DTM, so we have that point in common. But she did a lot of different categories, and her trajectory is very impressive.”

Ocon emphasized that Mueller’s dedication goes far beyond the standard call of duty, sharing a specific moment that highlighted her work ethic during a tough race weekend in Japan.

“She's awesome to work with. The amount of hours she puts in is very, very impressive. She doesn't count hours,” he said.

“I remember in Suzuka, we had a difficult one, but we were still having meetings and debriefs because it was not the way we wanted to have the performance and she didn’t stand up to take a sandwich or drink for probably the whole day,” Ocon recalled.

“She was like, ‘Esteban, I will probably go and take a food now because it's 7.30 or 8 in the evening.’ And I'm like, ‘You didn't eat yet?’ And she's like, ‘No,’ because she didn't want to because she was flat-out with work.”

Settling Into the Haas Family

Though his arrival at Haas marked a new chapter after five years with Alpine, Ocon has settled in quickly and warmly at his new team.

“First impression of the team is a big family,” he said. “This team really has welcomed me, in such a way that I just felt at home straight away.

"It’s really a fresh start for me. I feel that I'm integrating super well with everyone and everyone is hungry and motivated to deliver.”

• Read also: Ocon reveals secret behind Haas’ unexpected surge

Ocon compared the environment to his earlier days in F1, referencing the close-knit culture of Force India – but with a more refined and efficient structure.

“They are proud of everything that they do when they do it. That's great because if you're not proud of the job you do, then there's no point doing it.

“It's honestly fantastic to be part of such a team and to be able, hopefully, to progress further this year.

“As an atmosphere, the family kind of feel, it's very much like the Force India days, but it doesn't feel small. This team feels like a big team in a way of what they are achieving. When we need something, it comes quicker than what I've been experiencing in the past.

“Ayao could tell you a lot of things about where we could improve, but it doesn't feel like we are small because the quality of the job that's been done is very impressive.

“It doesn't feel like we lack people because everybody's trying to accommodate me in the best way possible.”

Ocon and Mueller’s dynamic appears to be not only a promising foundation for future results at Haas but also a reflection of a team culture built on drive, dedication, and mutual respect.

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