Irish F1 analyst Bernie Collins had to stop ‘thinking things were so personal’ as a woman in motorsport

04/05/2024

Bernie Collins never envisioned a career in motorsport, but is now working in the highest class of international racing: Formula One.

Growing up in Maguiresbridge, Co Fermanagh, the engineer was surrounded by motorsport but never took a keen interest in it.

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Speaking to EVOKE ahead of the release of her debut book How To Win A Grand Prix, Bernie admitted she was driven towards engineering through her love of subjects such as math, physics and technology but that she remained ‘confused’ about her career aspirations.

irish f1 analyst bernie collins had to stop ‘thinking things were so personal’ as a woman in motorsport

Bernie Collins at F1 Greatest Track on Earth Event. Pic: REX

‘Midway’ through her engineering degree, Bernie set her sights on the world of motorsport and in the blink of an eye found herself moving across the pond to work as an engineer for McLaren.

The Fermanagh native spent around seven years working with the striking papaya-branded F1 team before moving to its competitor Force India, now Aston Martin, to work as a performance and senior strategy engineer for driver Nico Hulkenberg.

Bernie Collins. Pic: Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team/X

‘I knew it wouldn’t be the same flashy factory or the same number of people to do certain jobs, but it was still quite a leap,’ Bernie told EVOKE of moving to the then-significantly smaller team.

The engineer noted that although Force India was more under-resourced than McLaren in terms of both finance and staff, it was an incredible learning curve for her as she was afforded the opportunity to land a role she wouldn’t have previously dreamed of at McLaren.

Bernie Collins. Pic: Antonin Vincent/DPPI/LiveMedia/REX/Shutterstock

After Force India became Aston Martin, Bernie began noticing a transition to that bigger, well-known team standard she had come to know at McLaren.

‘It was better flights, nicer hotels, better canteen, more car parking, all these little things that gradually build up over time,’ she explained. ‘When I joined the strategy team it was me and one other, then when I left the strategy team there were five or six people.’

Calum Nicholas of Great Britain and Oracle Red Bull Racing and Bernie Collins. Pic: Qian Jun/MB Media/Getty Images

‘It [also] meant that when [I] spoke to people who didn’t know F1, when I said I worked for Force India, that didn’t really mean anything to them’ Bernie continued. ‘Whereas when I said I worked for Aston Martin, people at least knew the brand, so it felt like a very positive change.’

Towards the end of her career at Aston Martin, Bernie had taken on as many as 21 races on the F1 calendar which saw her jet around the world from Asia and Australia to America and throughout Europe.

Bernie Collins, David Croft and Karun Chandhok. Pic: Instagram

In the summer months, especially, there are many double and triple-headers on the F1 calendar which saw the strategist ‘away for three and a bit weeks without really a break’. Upon deciding this was too much for her, the strategist took the initiative to step away from Aston Martin.

‘There’s no scope for you to miss a race,’ Bernie, whose favourite races on the F1 calendar are Canada and Brazil, told EVOKE. ‘It felt really intense.’

Bernie Collins. Pic: StillMoving.net for Sky Sports/REX/Shutterstock

Taking a leap of faith, ‘I thought I would just leave and see what happened,’ Bernie admitted. ‘And if it didn’t work out, I’d just go back or something.’

However, the strategist landed on her feet when she started doing analysis for F1TV and later Sky Sports F1. ‘They’ve got a lot of drivers, presenters and journalists but no engineering representation,’ she said of the unique view she brings to her new team.

Bernie Collins. Pic: Sky Sports

As we all know, motorsport in general, particularly Formula One, is such a male-dominated sport; so just how did Bernie find it being one of the only females in her field?

Funnily enough, the Fermanagh native believes it was her own personality and emotions that were her biggest weakness initially. Bernie recalled that emotions are heightened, ‘Everyone’s a bit stressed, everyone’s a bit tired and everyone’s a bit grumpy,’ so they accidentally take it out on one another.

Bernie Collins (right) with Jonathan Wheatley of Great Britain and Oracle Red Bull Racing. Pic: Qian Jun/MB Media/Getty Images

Bernie admitted she ‘needed to stop thinking things were so personal,’ which she believes is a predominantly female trait, as the men surrounding her would all snap at one another and forget about it as soon at it had happened.

‘We’re on the pit wall and someone says something maybe a bit aggressive in the heat of the moment, the guys have forgotten about it instantly, whereas I still remember it,’ she explained.

Bernie Collins. Pic: Sky Sports

Bernie explained that she was then ‘cautious’ about trying to let things like that go over her head, because ‘they were just shouting at whoever, it wasn’t necessarily because it was me.’

Since making the shift from strategist to analyst with Sky Sports F1, Bernie has been thrust into the limelight and Formula One fans are very opinionated.

Bernie Collins. Pic: Qian Jun/MB Media/Getty Images

Bernie admitted it’s taken some getting used to that fans have things to say about her analysis and appearance.

Before, ‘people [behind the scenes] really respected your intelligence and your work ethic and what you were trying to do;’ however, that’s no longer the case because if Bernie criticises one of the teams or drivers, chances are she’ll receive backlash from their dedicated fanbase.

‘External criticism is very much one way’ Bernie told us. ‘There’s no discussion.’ However, she noted that ‘Irish fans have been amazing’ throughout her career as Sky Sports F1, as she often gets complimented when they hear an Irish accent on TV.

The analyst, who admitted she’ll always have a soft spot for the teams and drivers she’s worked with such as Aston Martin and Sergio Perez, is gearing up to shift lanes in her career once again with the release of her debut book How to Win a Grand Prix.

Bernie Collins. Pic: Sky Sports

The book delves into Bernie’s childhood through how she ended up working with Formula One. For those F1 fans that thrive on strategy and analysis, it’s chock-full of that information to read ’til your heart’s content.

‘You’re writing things unsure of it’s value to others,’ the Fermanagh native admitted when asked whether it was a ‘daunting’ experience. ‘It’s going to be interesting how it plays out and how people receive it.’

How to Win a Grand Prix by Bernie Collins. Pic: Provided

We’ve no doubt that it will be received well by F1 fans around the world as Bernie’s unique strategic and analytic perspective is sure to make us all feel as though we’re right beside her on the pit wall.

How to Win a Grand Prix, which is also available in eBook and audio, is set for publication on Thursday, May 23.