Samantha Nyikadzino, a design engineer from Zimbabwe, has joined Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team as an electronics design engineer.
She follows in the footsteps of fellow Zimbabwean Stephanie Travers who joined the team in 2019 as the trackside fluid engineer. In July 2020, Travers made history as she became the first Black woman to stand on the Formula One (F1) podium in the 70 years since the first Formula One World Championship Grand Prix was held in 1950.
Nyikadzino studied Electrical Engineering at Zimbabwe's National University of Science and Technology before doing Electrical Engineering again at the Cape Penisula University of Technology.
She also has another degree in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of South Africa.
Mercedes-Benz, a brand of the Mercedes-Benz Group, has been involved in Formula One as both a team owner and engine manufacturer for various periods since 1954.
The Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team, based in Brackley, England, currently features some of the best drivers in F1 racing. The current drivers in the Mercedes team include Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, Stoffel Vandoorne and Nyck de Vries.
Nyikadzino’s new role as the electronics design engineer for the racing team will be an inspiration to several African girls and women who hope to become future engineers.