Formula 1
Born in Northern Ireland, Bernie Collins developed a passion for mechanics at a young age, after helping her father construct and dismantle farm machinery at home. She went on to study mechanical engineering at Queen’s University Belfast, and joined the annual Formula student programme, an engineering competition organised by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
After leaving university, she secured a place on the McLaren Formula 1 team’s graduate trainee programme, volunteering at the GP3 Series race weekends, gaining experience before receiving an offer from the McLaren GT sports car racing team. Then in 2012, she was promoted to the role of performance engineer and went on to work for the United Autosports GT team.
At the end of 2013, she was offered a role as McLaren’s primary performance engineer in F1, where she worked closely with the 2009 F1 world champion Jenson Button. She stayed here until 2015 when she began working with the Force India team as a performance and strategy engineer, supporting drivers such as Nico Hülkenberg.
Bernie became the head of race strategy for Aston Martin F1 in 2020, which saw her guiding the team and the drivers as they sought to maximise the championship points they received at each Grand Prix. This included balancing information from the drivers, engineers and support team, and reacting to external events during each race.
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Media
Bernie joined F1 TV in 2022, and the Sky Sports F1 team in 2023, her race strategy expertise adding significant depth to the channels’ coverage.
She regularly contributes to the F1 official website and digital channels, providing detail insights into the complexity of Grand Prix races.
In 2014, she published the book How To Win a Grand Prix: From Pit Lane to Podium – The Inside Track, which lifted the lid on how an F1 team really works. Since the book’s release, it has found itself on the Amazon ‘Racecar Driver Biographies’ bestselling list.
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Speaker
Bernie is a highly sought-after keynote speaker; with her insights into leadership, high-pressure decision making, and overcoming adversity, she captivates audiences with her ability to translate the high-stakes world of F1 into valuable business lessons.
Her speaking engagements, combined with her media presence, and 140,000+ following on social media, has allowed her to inspire a wider audience, particularly women, to pursue careers in motorsport and engineering.
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Speaking Topics
– Technology
– Date
– Motorsport
– Formula 1
– Engineering
– AI and Gen Ai
– Data-Driven Performance
– Innovation
– Safety
– Risk Management
– Leadership
– Change and Transformation
– Teamwork and Collaboration
– Peak Performance
– The Winning Mindset
– Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion
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To check fees and availability for Bernie Collins, contact Great Business Speakers on 0044 (0)1753 439289
