Spotlight: Susie Wolff

Women in Motorsports

(Image Source: F1, 2023)

Susie Wolff, formerly Susie Stoddart, is a well-known name in Formula 1 and motorsports as a whole. Coming from an adrenaline junkie family, racing was in her blood. Susie was born on December 6, 1982 in Obon, Scotland. She is a former professional race car driver, team principal, and current director of F1 Academy.

Career Beginnings

The beginning of her career began as many did in Formula 1, with karting. Susie, even at a young age, had a very impressive pedigree. She was named “Women Kart Racing Driver of the Year” in 1996, won the “24-Hour Middle East Kart Championship”, and also found success in “Scottish Junior Intercontinental ‘A’ and Scottish Open Junior Intercontinental ‘A’ (Seymour, 2023).

In 2002, she began her career in single-seater vehicles by racing in Formula Renault. She competed against some of the all-time greats in Formula Renault, such as Lewis Hamilton. Toto Wolff, her now-husband, spoke to Times Magazine about this time in her life, saying, “She was on the podium with Lewis [Hamilton] and beating some of the really good guys.” Susie progressed in her racecraft and moved into the Formula 3 championship in 2005. Devastatingly, the same year, she broke her ankle and lost her seat for Formula 3. However, she took it in stride and pivoted from any of the Formula championships and set her sights on Deutsche Tourenwagen Master, referred to as DTM. After racing in DTM for some time, she reported to an Australian magazine that she “dreams” about driving in F1 and would like to have a real test drive with them (Panzariu, 2010).

(Lewis Hamilton - Back row, middle. Susie Wolf - Front row, middle)

Formula 1 Career

In 2012, she would get her wish when she started being a test driver for the British Formula 1 team, Williams. In 2014, she was the first woman to participate in a Formula 1 weekend in 22 years after she drove in a free practice session. Only driving a couple of tenths slower than the normal Williams driver, Felippe Massa. She continued test driving for Williams, and participated in a couple more free practice sessions into 2015. Susie, however, would start to wind down her racing career. Her final race was in 2015 for the Race of Champions. Susie Wolff was the first female driver to participate in ROC (Powell, 2023).

(Susie Wolff, Spanish GP 2015 - Image Source: F1, 2015)

Post Racing

Once retired, Susie gave an interview to the Times, stating, “ It became clear to me that I wasn’t going to make the transition into the racing seat, and I didn’t want to just make up the numbers (Smith, 2016)”. Even though she was no longer competitively racing, she still was very much involved in the racing community. Susie co-founded Dare to be Different alongside Rob Jones, the CEO of the Motor Sports Association. Launched officially in January 2016, this non-profit organization is dedicated to enhancing the participation of women in motorsport. (Powell, 2023). During this time, she was also asked to be an ambassador for Mercedes and was also one of the first people to test the Mercedes-AMG One.

In 2018, Susie Wolff found herself as the team principal for Venturi Racing in Formula E. The 2020-2021 season saw Venturi Racing most successful ever season after being guided to second-place victory by Susie Wolff. By November of 2021, Susie Wolff went on to become Venturi Racings CEO, making it one of her first influential roles as managing a motorsport team/brand. In 2022 however, she announced her departure from Formula E and Venturi Racing. This was partly due to Venturi Racing's rebranding as Maserati MSG Racing (Powell, 2023). 

F1 Academy

Susie Wolff cemented herself as one of the most influential people to happen to women in racing by becoming the managing director of F1 Academy, an all-women’s racing championship aimed at giving women the opportunity to compete for F1 seats. Presumably, she saw the near impossible road for women to drive for F1, even herself got hairsplitting close to formally racing for F1 but just couldn’t quite get over the hurdle. F1 Academy showcases women’s abilities and skills in order for them to compete for the coveted spot on an F1 team. Though F1 Academy has a long way to go before being able to compete with Formula 1, Susie has made it possible for women all around the world to dream about being in Formula 1.

Conclusion

Before Susie Wolff came around, there were few women in motorsport. Susie Wolff began to shake the antiquated dust off the sport and showed that women are valuable to it. Since the inception of F1 Academy, many more women’s racing championships and teams have been given the spotlight, such as the “Iron Dames” racing team.

Susie Wolff Quotes

“Someone said to me many years ago, dream and dream big. But always have a plan because of a dream without a plan, that’s called a wish,” she said last year. “You need to know how you’re gonna achieve your dreams and have the tenacity to make them happen.”(Coleman, 2024)

“Believe in yourself. Don’t be scared to speak up when your voice needs to be heard. Don’t feel like you always need to be heard,” Wolff said last November. “But in the moment, you need to be heard, have that inner belief and confidence to stand up for yourself, to put yourself forward, and figure out where you want your path to go. (Coleman, 2024)

“Don’t allow others to dictate your path. Be strong to know what your path is, what your direction is, and, and lean on others when you need help.” (Coleman, 2024)

“I never set out on a mission to prove what a woman could do in a man’s world. I love racing. I love the competition. I love the racetrack and the environment. I love that it pushes you out of your comfort zone. And now I’m on a mission to definitely make sure that more women realize the opportunities within motorsport.” (Coleman, 2024)

Citations:

Coleman, M. (2024, April 3). “you need to be heard”: Susie Wolff’s life in motorsports is about more than racing. The Athletic. https://theathletic.com/5386839/2024/04/03/susie-wolff-f1-academy/ 

Collingridge, J. (2017, July 2). Let’s make F1 unpredictable, says Mercedes back-seat driver. The Times & The Sunday Times. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/lets-make-f1-unpredictable-says-mercedes-back-seat-driver-6969zfh7s 

F1. (2015, November 4). Susie Wolff to retire from Motorsport. Formula 1® - The Official F1® Website. https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/headlines/2015/11/susie-wolff-retires-from-motorsport.html

F1. (2023, March 1). Susie Wolff announced as new managing director of all-female F1 Academy Series: Formula 1®. Formula 1® - The Official F1® Website. https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/susie-wolff-announced-as-new-managing-director-of-all-female-f1-academy.AvUWetaULyj1yb4D9asVx

“Former Professional Racing Driver, Former Team Principal of Venturi Formula-e Racing Team and Co-Founder of Dare to Be Different.” International Women’s Day, International Women’s Day, 2022, www.internationalwomensday.com/Speaker/1532/Susie-Wolff. 

Seymour, Mike. “From F1 Outings to a Royal Honour – the Career Highlights of Susie Wolff: F1 Academy’s New Managing Director: Formula 1®.” Formula 1, Formula 1, 1 Mar. 2023, www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/from-f1-outings-to-a-royal-honour-the-career-highlights-of-susie-wolff-f1.6Y4QZsbUqvuurB2qorsjIp. 

Panzariu, O. (2010, October 19). Susie Stoddart wants F1 test. autoevolution. https://www.autoevolution.com/news/susie-stoddart-wants-f1-test-25400.html#:~:text=%E2%80%9CI%20dream%20about%20Formula%20One,just%20be%20a%20PR%20stunt. 

Powell, N. (2023, December 6). Get to know F1 Academy’s Susie Wolff. Last Word on Motorsports. https://lastwordonsports.com/motorsports/2023/12/06/get-to-know-f1-academys-susie-wolff/ 

Smith, E. (2016, August 28). Me and my motor: Susie Wolff. The Times & The Sunday Times: breaking news & today’s latest headlines. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/me-and-my-motor-6s5l0dsnn