65: Meet the woman who makes sense of F1’s most complex puzzles

This week we meet a woman who has worked in F1 for Ferrari, Haas and Sauber. She has been at the heart of decision making on the pit wall as head of race strategy and has now turned that into a new role as an F1 TV commentator and content creator. 

Ruth Buscombe can speak to the vast new audience of F1 fans that have discovered the sport in the last five years as well as to the most committed and knowledgeable purists, with her unique insights into what is going on in F1 races.

After getting a 1st in Engineering at Cambridge University why did she choose a career in F1? What was it like to advise the lead actress in the F1 movie? What is it like to make a high-pressure strategy call on the pit wall, knowing that you could make or break the entire team’s race weekend? How many bad races per season are strategists allowed before they get fired? Ruth answers all these questions and more in this fascinating insight and provides a window onto what fans can expect on track from the 2026 season under new F1 rules. 

Watch out next week for news and highlights from the Autosport Business Exchange and Autosport Awards events taking place in London on 21 January.  

Send your comments or questions to: @jamesallenonf1 on X or jamesallenonf1@autosport.com.

A Motorsport Studios production for Autosport