Tamires Lustosa is a woman who has prevailed in the world of motorsport. Born in São Paulo, the Brazilian is a data engineer and has worked for various racing teams in the ADAC GT Masters in recent years. In the 2022 season, she was responsible for the hard facts and figures at Austrian newcomers Eastalent Racing. In an interview, the 33-year-old discusses her career, her job and her relationship with the drivers.
How did you get into motorsport?
As a child, I had no connection with motorsport. However, I was always interested in technology and went on to study Electrical Engineering after school. After that, I actually wanted to work in industry, but we then started a project at university with a Formula car, which we raced against other universities. That aroused my interest, particularly as my boyfriend at the time was a racing driver. For this reason, I started out as a data engineer in the Porsche Carrera Cup Brazil.
What brought you to Europe?
I travelled to England during my studies, and also spent a short time in Germany. However, I wanted to work in Europe in the long term and so came to Austria five years ago. My first position there was with HB Racing. We lined up with Lamborghini in the ADAC GT Masters. In 2019, we were the only Ferrari on the grid. After that, Herberth Motorsport gave me the opportunity to work as a race engineer, although I had absolutely no experience in that regard. I learned a lot that way.
How is it being a woman in a male-dominated domain?
It is not a problem. It took a while to earn everyone’s trust, because it is nearly all men working in motorsport. But that is normal. Men would find it more difficult at first in a profession that is dominated by women.
In 2022, you plied your trade for the new team, Eastalent Racing. What does your job entail with a team like this?
As a data engineer, I record everything and analyse what the car and the driver are doing. If the driver tells me that his car has oversteer or understeer, I look at data like the braking point, steering, cornering behaviour etc. I then give him recommendations, such as to find different braking points or take a different line. If the driver sticks to that and nothing changes, the race engineer has the last say. My goal is to use the data to adapt the driving style and characteristics of the car to make sure they are optimally suited to each other. It is a compromise, and I endeavour to find that compromise by analysing all the data. Sometimes it is down to the driver that the car is reacting badly, and it is not easy to convince them that they are wrong. However, the drivers trust me, as they know that I want to get the very best out of the situation for them.
How would you describe the ADAC GT Masters?
Unlike endurance racing, the entire process is totally condensed in sprint races. Qualifying is extremely important, and you have to bring everything together in a really short time, in order to put together a competitive overall package. With such a short time frame, there is a lot of pressure, but I enjoy these kind of challenges and have gained a lot of confidence in recent years.
Why is Tamires not a racing driver?
I did do some karting, but realised very quickly that you have to invest an incredible amount as a driver if you want to be among the best. I have always been much more interested in engineering. I leave it to others let off steam out on the track.
What do you do when you finish work at the circuit?
I go to the hotel and sleep. Our job often runs deep into the night: there is a lot of data and different ways of solving a problem. If I have any time, I will have a beer with my colleagues now and again. However, I only ever party after the season.
What else can we expect from you in motorsport?
As with the drivers, it would obviously be a dream to make it into Formula 1. I would also like to work with prototypes. I already have GT experience in Le Mans. However, my ultimate goal is to have my own team.
