SEVERINE HAMON: “MORE WOMEN SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED TO WORK IN MOTORSPORT”

There’s a lot of science behind lubricants. In Motul’s R&D lab, Severine Hamon works as a chemist, perfecting the formulas of our legendary lubricant ranges. To mark International Women’s Day, we speak to Severine to find out what it means to be a woman working at the cutting edge of technical innovation.

I’m a chemist. I work in the R&D automotive laboratory. I’ve been working for Motul for almost 19 years. 

After my chemistry studies, I worked as a formulator in several fields such as explosives and inks. Motul was looking for chemists. I was interested in discovering a new area and I knew the brand. So I applied and was chosen.  

I’ve been lucky to go to Motul events lately with the Motul Racing Lab and there I’ve felt that I was part of a minority. There are not many women racing, but there are a few and I hope to see more and more soon.

Since I didn’t know much about lubricants and motors, I’ve had to improve my knowledge to be professional enough to be taken seriously. But I would have done the same if I were a man or if I were entering a field I didn’t know.  

It’s great to see more women becoming involved in this area, but more always needs to be done to promote and encourage women to work in motorsport.

Trust your instinct. Don’t limit yourself because of other people’s opinions and expectations of what a woman should do. All working fields should be open to all regardless of gender.