LONDON – A Zimbabwean chemical engineer beat 7,000 other applicants to become the Mercedes-AMG PETRNONAS Motorsport’s trackside fluid engineer for the 2019 season.
Stephanie Travers, 24, will provide the five-time F1 constructor’s championship winners with a comprehensive suite of fluid support services, PETRONAS Lubricants International announced.
Travers will work with world champion Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas as Mercedes hunt more success on track.
Travers was born in Harare to Maria and Bertram Travers, and is the grand-daughter of Pat Travers, the late chairman of Arcadia United Football Club.
After over 7,000 applications, there was a rigorous five-stage selection process, culminating in an interview with PETRONAS Group Chief Executive Officer, Giuseppe D’Arrigo.
“We are delighted to welcome Stephanie on-board as a new PETRONAS Trackside Fluid Engineer (PTFE) today,” said D’Arrigo.
“Stephanie will operate at every race in the travelling PETRONAS Trackside Laboratory. These engineers represent the technical excellence of PETRONAS in Formula One and the company’s commitment to building a pool of talent for the advancement of our fluid technology from track-to-road.
“PETRONAS employs the best and the brightest throughout the company and I believe that Stephanie’s skillset, passion, determination and positive attitude will make her an incredible addition to our team.”
Introduced by PETRONAS Group Technology Officer, Eric Holthusen, at the Circuit de Catalunya, Stephanie will be mentored by incumbent PTFE, Ahmad Nasri Mohd Shafie.
“PETRONAS has contributed greatly to the performance and the reliability that is at the very heart of the success we’ve enjoyed over the past five seasons,” said Toto Wolff, Team Principal and CEO of Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Motorsport.
“PETRONAS has continuously raised the bar throughout our decade-long partnership, providing us with the technology and the technical expertise to give us a competitive advantage. The PETRONAS Trackside Fluid Engineer programme has been part of our partnership from the very beginning; it’s an important pillar in our hunt for performance and reliability.
“Having fluid engineers in the on-track laboratory gives us the opportunity to quickly analyse lubricants from the car and to respond to potential challenges in real-time. The programme has also become a great asset to find and develop talent in our highly competitive industry and I’m sure that Stephanie will further strengthen our team at the track. Welcome to the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Motorsport family, Stephanie!”
Technical partner since 2010, PETRONAS has co-engineered PETRONAS Primax fuel, PETRONAS Syntium engine oil and PETRONAS Tutela gearbox fluid, in close collaboration with the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Motorsport, Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains (HPP), and PETRONAS Fluid Technology Solutions™.
