Claire Dubbelman’s love for the head of motorsport began at an early age, due to her father, Huub, who spent nearly 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 Dubbelman was 4 or 5 years outdated when she started watching Method 1 within the early Nineteen Nineties.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.”
“After I was about 9 years outdated, I went with my father to Zandvoort for the Masters, which on the time was the occasion you needed to attend,” Dubbelman continues.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 typically, for occasions just like the Easter Races and the Pentecost Races. A day on the monitor grew to become our favorite time out.”
A strong basis
After secondary college, Dubbelman pursued a level in worldwide communication, which she accomplished by the age of 21. “After this, I believed to myself: if I’ll 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 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 strong 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 your entire Method Renault Northern European Championship with simply three individuals. After I was requested what I did precisely, I used to say: ‘all the pieces that does not contain a screwdriver!'”
She dealt with all the pieces from arranging the trophies, writing press releases, compiling the entry lists, sustaining the sporting laws, and reserving accommodations. “And I sat subsequent to the Race Director, as a result of I used to be the one who communicated the entire selections to the groups over the radio. That was a part of my function.” That’s how she first got here into contact with race management and sporting laws. “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 Collection, which then transitioned into the FIA Method 3 European Championship.”That is how I received on the radar for a everlasting place,” Dubbelman shared. She secured a full-time function 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 have 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 function in 2024.
“Meaning 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 government function. Basically, I am the one sending the protection automotive onto the monitor and directing the medical companies.” Moreover, Dubbelman is Sporting Supervisor on the FIA. “As Sporting Supervisor, I help the FIA Sporting Director in coordinating numerous issues. For instance, the Tremendous Licence Working Group falls beneath my accountability, and I play a supporting function within the conferences of the Sporting Advisory Committee, which maintains and amends the sporting laws. Briefly, it’s about all the pieces wanted on the regulatory facet to maintain the championship working.”
Away from the monitor, she additionally spends plenty of time making 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 liable for your entire sporting facet of F1, which is sort of intense.”
Lando Norris, McLaren achter de security automotive
Foto door: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Photographs
FIA Race Director Tremendous Licence
As of this yr, Dubbelman holds an FIA Race Director Tremendous Licence, which implies she is authorised to tackle the function of Race Director at Grands Prix. “This yr, the FIA determined that anybody who could make selections 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 obtained one this yr,” says Dubbelman. “It additionally implies that, ought to something occur to Rui – constructive or damaging – I might step in.” The license was granted to her primarily based on her competence. There is no such thing as a examination for it. “Receiving that doc is extra of a affirmation that I’m certified to carry out the function of Deputy Race Director.”
Dubbelman is the primary Dutch nationwide, the primary lady, and, at 38 years outdated, the youngest particular person ever to obtain the FIA Race Director Tremendous Licence. She significantly 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 particular person to realize this. “We’re a small nation, however now we have an enormous presence in motorsport. So for me to be the primary Dutch particular person to do that, that’s one thing I’m very pleased with.”
Extra ladies on the desk?
On the finish of 2023, Dubbelman mentioned that she was typically the one lady on the desk, however right now, the scenario in Method 1 is bettering. “Sure, however slowly. For example, throughout the drivers’ briefing, the place FIA and FOM representatives, staff managers, sporting administrators, and the F1 drivers are current, 9 instances 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 typically it hurts somewhat. We have come a good distance in lots of areas of the game, however in case you’re nonetheless the one lady amongst fifty individuals in a room… It reveals there’s nonetheless a protracted street forward.”
Nevertheless, inside the FIA itself, Dubbelman notices a constructive shift. “Inside our staff on the FIA, we’re seeing extra ladies, and extra ladies in necessary roles. After I first joined the FIA, there have been plenty of ladies, however primarily in administrative positions. These roles are necessary too – I don’t wish to take something away from that – however out within the discipline, ladies have been a lot much less seen. Now, in case you take a look at the FIA, you see a really totally different image. We’ve ladies throughout all departments. We’ve a feminine scrutineer in our technical staff, 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 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 Photographs
Additionally in Race Management, Dubbelman is now not the one lady. “There are 4 roles to be stuffed for every F1 race weekend. We’ve 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 function I beforehand held. There are actually two individuals rotating in that operator function, and considered one of them is a lady.”
First feminine Race Director?
Dubbelman has beforehand said that her ambition is to at some point turn out to be a Race Director in Method 1, however solely beneath her personal phrases and in a method that feels comfy for her. So is that feeling extra current now than a couple of years in the past? “Sure. We work a lot extra as a staff now in comparison with the previous. For many years, we had a system the place mainly one particular person made the entire selections. Below Michael Masi and Niels Wittich, it step by step grew to become extra of a staff effort. And with Rui’s arrival, we’ve taken one other step ahead.”
“I’ve at all times mentioned it must be much less about one particular person and extra about teamwork,” Dubbelman provides. “That might make the function of Race Director far more comfy for me, and it might 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 at some point turning into Race Director than I used to be earlier than.”
“I nonetheless assume I’ve plenty of rising to do. And I would like to have the time to develop earlier than the topic of turning into Race Director even comes up. After I accepted my present function, I mentioned I wish to have at the very 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 lady and extra about being the correct particular person – 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 function.”
Additional progress
One space the place Dubbelman needs to proceed creating is circuit homologation. “That’s one thing I’ve placed on my checklist for this yr. I’d prefer to know extra about it. I take care of it each day, so it’s definitely not that I’ve no primary data about this – I even have fairly a bit. However what I’m on the lookout for is a deeper understanding of, as an example, when a fence must be changed and when it might probably nonetheless be repaired. And when a Tecpro barrier is simply too broken to depart in place and when you possibly can nonetheless repair it with tape. In these instances, 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 doubtlessly we’d purple flag the race for that. However in case you can repair it rapidly, you may have the ability to proceed beneath a Security Automobile,” Dubbelman clarifies. “These are the sorts of issues I wish to achieve extra data 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 boldness to be the primary, as a substitute of the quantity two.”
FIA F1 Race Management
Foto door: Michael Potts / Motorsport Photographs
Dubbelman emphasizes she would fortunately keep within the Deputy Race Director for a few years to return. “However there aren’t any ensures in Method 1, I’m absolutely conscious of that.” She additionally acknowledges the likelihood that she may very well be promoted to the function of Race Director sooner than she’d want. “I can say what I would love, however that doesn’t imply anybody has to take heed to me.”
Nevertheless, 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, at some point, I may very well be prepared. Nonetheless, I really feel there’s one other step I must take earlier than I’m actually prepared.”
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