The primary lady to carry an FIA Race Director Tremendous Licence

Claire Dubbelman’s love for the head of motorsport began at an early age, due to her father, Huub, who spent virtually twenty 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 look at Method 1. Even for the Australian Grand Prix, which was historically the season opener again then, we’d stand up early to look at the race collectively.”

“Once 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 monitor grew to become our favorite time out.”

A stable basis

After secondary faculty, Dubbelman pursued a level in worldwide communication, which she accomplished by the age of 21. “After this, I believed to myself: if I will work till I am 65 – and even 67 it’s within the Netherlands these days – I want 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 autos. Then a chance 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 complete Method Renault Northern European Championship with simply three folks. Once I was requested what I did precisely, I used to say: ‘all the things that does not contain a screwdriver!'”

She dealt with all the things from arranging the trophies, writing press releases, compiling the entry lists, sustaining the sporting rules, and reserving motels. “And I sat subsequent to the Race Director, as a result of I used to be the one who communicated all the selections 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 finally, 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 Sequence, which then transitioned into the FIA Method 3 European Championship.”That is how I bought 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 selections had been executed by way of the FIA programs. 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 programs, I now have a way more govt position. Primarily, I am the one sending the security automotive onto the monitor and directing the medical providers.” Moreover, Dubbelman is Sporting Supervisor on the FIA. “As Sporting Supervisor, I help 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. In brief, it’s about all the things wanted on the regulatory facet to maintain the championship operating.”

Away from the monitor, 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 complete sporting facet of F1, which is kind of intense.”

FIA Race Director Tremendous Licence

As of this 12 months, Dubbelman holds an FIA Race Director Tremendous Licence, which suggests she is authorised to tackle the position of Race Director at Grands Prix. “This 12 months, the FIA determined that anybody who could make selections impacting the race should have this licence. So whereas a Deputy Race Director prior to now didn’t essentially maintain a licence, I obtained one this 12 months,” says Dubbelman. “It additionally implies that, ought to something occur to Rui – optimistic or destructive – I might step in.” The license was granted to her primarily based 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 lady, and, at 38 years previous, the youngest individual ever to obtain the FIA Race Director Tremendous Licence. She notably values the second side. “The truth that so few ladies can be found for a place like this reveals 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 lady.” She additionally finds it very particular to be the primary Dutch individual to attain this. “We’re a small nation, however we have now a giant presence in motorsport. So for me to be the primary Dutch individual to do that, that’s one thing I’m very pleased with.”

Extra ladies on the desk?

On the finish of 2023, Dubbelman stated that she was usually the one lady on the desk, however at the moment, the scenario in Method 1 is bettering. “Sure, however slowly. As an example, throughout 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 lady within the room. I do not wish to say it’s troublesome, however it’s confronting – and generally it hurts somewhat. We have come a great distance in lots of areas of the game, however if you happen to’re nonetheless the one lady amongst fifty folks in a room… It reveals there’s nonetheless an extended street forward.”

Nevertheless, inside the FIA itself, Dubbelman notices a optimistic shift. “Inside our crew on the FIA, we’re seeing extra ladies, and extra ladies in vital roles. Once I first joined the FIA, there have been a whole lot of ladies, however primarily in administrative positions. These roles are vital too – I don’t wish to take something away from that – however out within the subject, ladies had been a lot much less seen. Now, if you happen to take a look at the FIA, you see a really totally different image. Now we have ladies throughout all departments. Now we have a feminine scrutineer in our technical crew, our head of operations is a lady, our starter is a lady, and our head of ceremonies is a lady. These are all very seen roles. I’m truly fairly proud that the FIA has achieved good feminine illustration throughout so many various areas.”

Claire Dubbelman, FIA F1 Race Management Operator

Foto door: Michael Potts / Motorsport Pictures

Additionally in Race Management, Dubbelman is not the one lady. “There are 4 roles to be crammed for every F1 race weekend. Now we 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 folks rotating in that operator position, and one in every of them is a lady.”

First feminine Race Director?

Dubbelman has beforehand acknowledged that her ambition is to someday turn into a Race Director in Method 1, however solely beneath her personal phrases and in a manner that feels comfy 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 all the selections. Below Michael Masi and Niels Wittich, it regularly grew to become 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 will make the position of Race Director way more comfy for me, and it will additionally really feel way more pure to me. In that respect, we’ve now reached a degree the place I’m extra open to the concept of someday turning into Race Director than I used to be earlier than.”

“I nonetheless assume I’ve a whole lot of rising to do. And I would love to have the time to develop earlier than the topic of turning into Race Director even comes up. Once I accepted my present position, I stated I wish to have a minimum of three years to develop correctly and earn the respect of the folks I work with. In F1 – and that is much less about being a lady and extra about being the appropriate individual – it’s important to show your self. And I wish to have the prospect 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 growing is circuit homologation. “That’s one thing I’ve placed on my record for this 12 months. I’d prefer to know extra about it. I take care of it on daily basis, so it’s definitely not that I’ve no fundamental information about this – I even have fairly a bit. However what I’m in search of is a deeper understanding of, as an example, when a fence needs to be changed and when it will possibly nonetheless be repaired. And when a Tecpro barrier is just too broken to go away in place and when you may 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 possibly can think about that changing a Tecpro barrier takes fairly a little bit of time, so probably we’d purple flag the race for that. However if you happen to can repair it shortly, you may have the ability to proceed beneath a Security Automobile,” Dubbelman clarifies. “These are the sorts of issues I wish to achieve extra information about. And as soon as I attain a stage the place I’ve full religion in my experience on this space, I believe I’d even have the boldness to be the primary, as an alternative 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 chance that she might be promoted to the position of Race Director sooner than she’d choose. “I can say what I would really like, however that doesn’t imply anybody has to take heed to me.”

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