The first woman to hold an FIA Race Director Super Licence

Claire Dubbelman’s love for the top of motorsport began at an early age, due to her father, Huub, who spent virtually 20 years in automotive journalism earlier than working as a PR supervisor for manufacturers together with Mercedes-Benz Netherlands. Dubbelman was 4 or 5 years previous when she started watching Method 1 within the early Nineteen Nineties. “From the time I used to be little, my father would wake me up – at my very own request, in fact – to observe Method 1. Even for the Australian Grand Prix, which was historically the season opener again then, we might stand up early to observe the race collectively.”

“After I was about 9 years previous, I went with my father to Zandvoort for the Masters, which on the time was the occasion you needed to attend,” Dubbelman continues. “After that, we began going to Zandvoort extra usually, for occasions just like the Easter Races and the Pentecost Races. A day on the observe turned our favorite day trip.”

A stable basis

After secondary faculty, Dubbelman pursued a level in worldwide communication, which she accomplished by the age of 21. “After this, I assumed to myself: if I will work till I am 65 – and even 67 it’s within the Netherlands these days – I would like to search out one thing I actually love doing. In any other case, I will not final. That’s how I ended up within the automotive world. I labored for seven months within the advertising and marketing division of Carver, which produces three-wheeled automobiles. Then a possibility got here as much as work in Method Renault. I joined an company that represented Renault Sport within the Northern European championships. That was my begin in motorsport.”

Working in Method Renault gave Dubbelman a stable basis for the remainder of her profession. “One main benefit of the place I began in motorsport was that I needed to do a variety of duties. Again then, we organised the whole Method Renault Northern European Championship with simply three individuals. After I was requested what I did precisely, I used to say: ‘the whole lot that does not contain a screwdriver!'”

She dealt with the whole lot from arranging the trophies, writing press releases, compiling the entry lists, sustaining the sporting rules, and reserving inns. “And I sat subsequent to the Race Director, as a result of I used to be the one who communicated the entire choices to the groups over the radio. That was a part of my position.” That’s how she first got here into contact with race management and sporting rules. “And in the end, that is what me most.”

Working for the FIA

Her first working expertise with the FIA was a contract job: in 2012 and 2013, she served because the FIA Media Delegate for the Method 3 Euro Collection, which then transitioned into the FIA Method 3 European Championship.”That is how I acquired on the radar for a everlasting place,” Dubbelman shared. She secured a full-time position on the FIA in 2017 as Championship Supervisor, overseeing the junior collection together with Method 2 and Method 3. Within the second half of 2022, she began working as a Race Management Operator in Method 1, guaranteeing the Race Director’s choices have been executed by means of the FIA methods. She labored a full season in that capability in 2023, earlier than being requested for the Deputy Race Director position in 2024.

“Which means I moved one seat to the left,” says Dubbelman about her most up-to-date promotion. “The place I beforehand operated the software program methods, I now have a way more govt position. Primarily, I am the one sending the protection automobile onto the observe and directing the medical companies.” Moreover, Dubbelman is Sporting Supervisor on the FIA. “As Sporting Supervisor, I assist the FIA Sporting Director in coordinating varied issues. For instance, the Tremendous Licence Working Group falls beneath my duty, and I play a supporting position within the conferences of the Sporting Advisory Committee, which maintains and amends the sporting rules. Briefly, it’s about the whole lot wanted on the regulatory aspect to maintain the championship working.”

Away from the observe, she additionally spends a whole lot of time getting ready for Grands Prix. “There are three of us within the Sporting Division: Tim Malyon is the Sporting Director, Rui Marques is the Race Director, and I’m the Deputy Race Director. The three of us are answerable for the whole sporting aspect of F1, which is sort of intense.”

Lando Norris, McLaren achter de security automobile

Foto door: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Pictures

FIA Race Director Tremendous Licence

As of this 12 months, Dubbelman holds an FIA Race Director Tremendous Licence, which implies she is authorised to tackle the position of Race Director at Grands Prix. “This 12 months, the FIA determined that anybody who could make choices impacting the race will need to have this licence. So whereas a Deputy Race Director up to now didn’t essentially maintain a licence, I acquired one this 12 months,” says Dubbelman. “It additionally signifies that, ought to something occur to Rui – optimistic or unfavourable – I may step in.” The license was granted to her based mostly on her competence. There isn’t a examination for it. “Receiving that doc is extra of a affirmation that I’m certified to carry out the position of Deputy Race Director.”

Dubbelman is the primary Dutch nationwide, the primary girl, and, at 38 years previous, the youngest individual ever to obtain the FIA Race Director Tremendous Licence. She significantly values the second facet. “The truth that so few ladies can be found for a place like this exhibits how troublesome it’s, how a lot it’s important to sacrifice, and the way a lot perseverance it takes to get right here. I’m very proud to have achieved this as the primary girl.” She additionally finds it very particular to be the primary Dutch individual to realize this. “We’re a small nation, however we’ve got a giant presence in motorsport. So for me to be the primary Dutch individual to do that, that’s one thing I’m very happy with.”

Extra ladies on the desk?

On the finish of 2023, Dubbelman stated that she was usually the one girl on the desk, however at present, the state of affairs in Method 1 is bettering. “Sure, however slowly. As an example, through the drivers’ briefing, the place FIA and FOM representatives, crew managers, sporting administrators, and the F1 drivers are current, 9 occasions out of ten I’m nonetheless the one girl within the room. I do not need to say it’s troublesome, however it’s confronting – and generally it hurts somewhat. We have come a good distance in lots of areas of the game, however should you’re nonetheless the one girl amongst fifty individuals in a room… It exhibits there’s nonetheless a protracted highway forward.”

Nonetheless, inside the FIA itself, Dubbelman notices a optimistic shift. “Inside our crew on the FIA, we’re seeing extra ladies, and extra ladies in essential roles. After I first joined the FIA, there have been a whole lot of ladies, however primarily in administrative positions. These roles are essential too – I don’t need to take something away from that – however out within the discipline, ladies have been a lot much less seen. Now, should you take a look at the FIA, you see a really completely different image. We now have ladies throughout all departments. We now have a feminine scrutineer in our technical crew, our head of operations is a girl, our starter is a girl, and our head of ceremonies is a girl. These are all very seen roles. I’m really fairly proud that the FIA has achieved good feminine illustration throughout so many alternative areas.”

Claire Dubbelman, FIA F1 Race Management Operator

Foto door: Michael Potts / Motorsport Pictures

Additionally in Race Management, Dubbelman is not the one girl. “There are 4 roles to be crammed for every F1 race weekend. We now have Tim, the Sporting Director, who primarily offers with the groups; Rui, the Race Director and me, because the Deputy Race Director. After which there’s the Race Management Operator, the position I beforehand held. There are actually two individuals rotating in that operator position, and one in all them is a girl.”

First feminine Race Director?

Dubbelman has beforehand acknowledged that her ambition is to someday change into a Race Director in Method 1, however solely beneath her personal phrases and in a method that feels snug for her. So is that feeling extra current now than just a few years in the past? “Sure. We work a lot extra as a crew now in comparison with the previous. For many years, we had a system the place principally one individual made the entire choices. Beneath Michael Masi and Niels Wittich, it steadily turned extra of a crew effort. And with Rui’s arrival, we’ve taken one other step ahead.”

“I’ve at all times stated it needs to be much less about one particular person and extra about teamwork,” Dubbelman provides. “That might make the position of Race Director far more snug for me, and it could additionally really feel far more pure to me. In that respect, we’ve now reached some extent the place I’m extra open to the concept of someday changing into Race Director than I used to be earlier than.”

“I nonetheless suppose I’ve a whole lot of rising to do. And I would love to have the time to develop earlier than the topic of changing into Race Director even comes up. After I accepted my present position, I stated I wish to have at the least three years to develop correctly and earn the respect of the individuals I work with. In F1 – and that is much less about being a girl and extra about being the appropriate individual – it’s important to show your self. And I wish to have the possibility to show myself earlier than anybody considers asking me to step into the primary position.”

Additional progress

One space the place Dubbelman desires to proceed creating is circuit homologation. “That’s one thing I’ve placed on my listing for this 12 months. I’d wish to know extra about it. I cope with it daily, so it’s actually not that I’ve no primary information about this – I even have fairly a bit. However what I’m in search of is a deeper understanding of, as an illustration, when a fence needs to be changed and when it may possibly nonetheless be repaired. And when a Tecpro barrier is simply too broken to go away in place and when you’ll be able to nonetheless repair it with tape. In these circumstances, it is about small nuances.”

“It’s not that I do know nothing about it, however these are conditions that may make the distinction between a Security Automobile and a purple flag. You may think about that changing a Tecpro barrier takes fairly a little bit of time, so probably we might purple flag the race for that. However should you can repair it rapidly, you would possibly be capable to proceed beneath a Security Automobile,” Dubbelman clarifies. “These are the sorts of issues I need to achieve extra information about. And as soon as I attain a degree the place I’ve full religion in my experience on this space, I believe I might even have the arrogance to be the primary, as a substitute of the quantity two.”

FIA F1 Race Management

Foto door: Michael Potts / Motorsport Pictures

Dubbelman emphasizes she would fortunately keep within the Deputy Race Director for a few years to come back. “However there are not any ensures in Method 1, I’m absolutely conscious of that.” She additionally acknowledges the likelihood that she could possibly be promoted to the position of Race Director sooner than she’d desire. “I can say what I would love, however that doesn’t imply anybody has to hearken to me.”

Nonetheless, she is decided to keep away from being thrown in on the deep finish. “That’s at all times been my concern,” Dubbelman admits. “However the best way we work collectively now offers me far more confidence that, someday, I could possibly be prepared. Nonetheless, I really feel there’s one other step I must take earlier than I’m actually prepared.”

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