Bandon native Emer Acton paving way for women in F1

Former Ireland international hockey player turned Lead Physio and Pit Crew Performance Coach at McLaren Racing inspiring other women as a high performance female coach in traditionally male dominated spaces.

Emer Acton, Lead Physio and Pit Crew Performance Coach at McLaren Racing Formula One Team is paving the way as a high-performance female coach, using her experience as a former international hockey player and Clinical Specialist for the Military along the way.

“I got approached by McLaren about two years ago now, initially in a physiotherapy role, and then transitioned into the Pit Stop Performance coaching role”.

“As a physio looking at things from the physical performance perspective, I saw an opportunity for our pit crew to have perhaps a more sustainable structure and risk averse pathway."

Acton specialises in biomechanics which has helped her take McLaren’s pit crew to the next level, she explained.

“Coaching a pit crew is about injury prevention, optimizing physical performance, and being able to look at a body or movement and identify a person’s strengths.

“Our pit crew have built so much strength and depth, for example, all of the physical prep that ourJackman has been doing allows him to physically withstand the force that comes through the car."

Acton praises UK Coaching’s Coach Development Programme for growing her confidence as a coach.

“Emily was my coach developer and was nothing but engaging and positive. She showed me a way of being able to formulate my thoughts from a female perspective.

“My pit crew at the moment are all male, and they’ve never made me feel anything but an equal part of the team, but Emily gave me that confidence to not change how I think just because I’m a female and believe that what I’m delivering is absolutely correct.

“I think as females it's innate in us to question ourselves more. We might be the most qualified person in the room, but we'll still inherently turn around and think, is that right?

"Emily gave me the confidence to believe I am right.

“Coming to McLaren has been wonderful. It's an incredible team. They've been wonderful to work with, and I certainly haven't at any point felt held back as a female. If anything, I think McLaren have given me a little bit more power."

Action was previously a Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist for the military, a traditionally male dominated space, but says this has helped her develop her communication skills.

“We're all different, whether we're male or female, but certainly males driven by competitiveness like those in the military are ambitious to a fault, which is fantastic, but for me it was therefore about knowing when to put an arm around their shoulder or have a laugh with them.

“I guess it's a skill set I've picked up over the years, even from being an athlete myself and working in teams. It's instinctive, a lot of it, but parts I have learned and applied to try and empower and educate others."