We were delighted to welcome Rostrevor local Sósanna Ní Dhubháin, who delivered a truly fascinating insight into her decade-long career in Formula 1.

Sósanna has worked in the sport for over 10 years, beginning her journey in 2011 with Team Lotus as a Composite Designer. She later moved to Force India, which went on to become Aston Martin, where she continues to play a vital role within the engineering team based in Silverstone.

Sósanna explained how her career has progressed within the world of F1 composites — the highly specialised field responsible for creating the carbon-fibre components that make up most of a modern F1 car.

“I’ve always been a composite designer engineer,” she shared.
“I started junior, then became a normal engineer, and now I’m a senior.”

Her expertise lies in designing ultra-lightweight, ultra-strong components capable of withstanding enormous aerodynamic forces, vibrations, and impacts — all while remaining as light as possible to maximise performance. Every part she designs contributes to how fast, safe, and competitive the car can be.

Over the past two years, Sósanna has taken on an additional role that marked a major change in her day-to-day work: Reliability Engineer, a job she describes with great enthusiasm.

“In the last two years I’ve taken on this reliability role, which I love doing. I think everyone should have the opportunity to do a little bit of it, because I think it makes you a better designer.”

She explained that reliability engineering involves ensuring that every component of the car performs flawlessly over a race weekend. It means analysing failures, predicting potential weaknesses, and working under immense pressure when something must be redesigned or repaired at short notice. It also means being far more hands-on with what happens at the track.

“The reliability role is a big change,” she told us.
“It involves going to the track, and it also involves mixing with more people in the factory, so you work with all different departments, which you don’t normally do. I love doing it.”

Sósanna then guided us through the structure of a typical race weekend, giving the Shedders a rare behind-the-scenes look at what happens before the lights go out — from the long factory preparation days to the rapid decision-making required during practice, qualifying, and the race itself.

The evening rounded off with a lively question and answer session, where the Shedders quizzed her on all things F1 — aerodynamics, pit stops, the cost cap, car development, travelling with the team, and life inside the paddock. Several technical questions were thrown her way, all of which she handled effortlessly, offering clear explanations and surprising details about how the industry truly operates.

Her talk brilliantly showcased not only the precision and pressure of Formula 1 engineering, but also the dedication and passion required to succeed in one of the world’s most demanding sports. It was inspiring for all of us to hear how someone from our own community now plays such a key role at the highest level of motorsport.

A memorable evening at the Shed — and a proud moment for Rostrevor.