I’m originally from Switzerland, near Geneva. I’ve always had the attitude that you need to chase big experiences to build your career. Before I joined Cadillac F1® Team, I worked as an engineer for an America’s Cup team in Barcelona. I loved the pace, the sense of competition, the teamwork and the energy.
Joining Cadillac F1® Team gave me the opportunity to bring my skills into a new arena – motorsports, not maritime! It is a different challenge in so many ways. The F1® season is more structured, it is higher profile, there is real intensity to the work. It is definitely the kind of environment that I can thrive in but there is also a lot that I can learn. From that perspective, it is perfect.
I had an interview with another F1® Team. But during the recruitment process, Cadillac F1® Team felt more open to people from different backgrounds, who could bring different ideas – maybe because they are newcomers too. It felt, from the very beginning, like they valued me because my career experiences have been outside of F1®. They liked the fact that I had the attitude of ‘give me a problem to solve and I’ll work it out’, ‘give me a challenge and I’ll tackle it’. Attitude is just as important as experience.
In F1®, that feels unique to Cadillac F1® Team – the desire to think differently, welcome new perspectives and bring new ideas into how they work. There is so much still be shaped here, so much to scale, and nobody wants to just be a replica of other teams. By bringing in different people, we’re building our own sense of identity. I think it is good that we are thinking out of the box in terms of who we recruit.
What does the future hold?
I’m settling into life in the UK and really enjoying being on a steep learning curve. This is the kind of place where I can take the initiative, drive my own learning and easily tap into the experience of those around me. There’s always someone to ask, always someone ready to share their ideas. But you also have lots of freedom to solve problems yourself.
Looking ahead, I like the vibe here because it reminds me of the America’s Cup teams. I like how passionate people are about their work and how much effort they put into it. I’m also aware that I need to close the knowledge gap quickly. Every day, I am working hard to build my knowledge of the car, the sport and the Team. For me, challenges are always the best way to learn and as the Cadillac F1® Team grows, I want to be able to grow my knowledge, expertise and impact with it.
