F1 News
Susie Wolff agrees with Verstappen: 'That's not why we have F1 Academy'
The Managing Director of F1 Academy, Susie Wolff sees the positive change in terms of more women getting an opportunity in motorsport. Regarding one matter, the former driver also agrees with Max Verstappen.
Susie Wolff believes why it's hard to measure the success of F1 Academy, she can already see the effect it has on the younger generations. "There are some signs: in December we did a kart race in Abu Dhabi, the Champions of the Future, and the turnout of girls driving was 25%, the highest ever. When kart insiders see these numbers, they talk about the "F1 Academy effect"," she explained to La Gazzetta dello Sport.
The Briton also agreed with Max Verstappen about the fact that girls should compete against boys on their way towards F1. According to Wolff, F1 Academy exists for a different reason, not to shield the young talents away. "In this sport you compete against men, we don't want the opposite. With a women's category we are creating a fictitious environment in which we give girls time and opportunities to show us what they are capable of. We are not here to build a sport whose ambition is to relegate women, nor to give a chance to all young women. You have to be the best, otherwise you don't move forward," she continued.
Could a female driver get to F1?
Previously, from 2018 until 2021, Wolff was Venturi Racing's team principal in Formula E. Still, at the point, she couldn't name a female driver for her squad. "Because in the end no one gives you points for putting a woman in the car, it was about having the best performances and no one at that time could give me the results I was looking for. The goal is to find these talents and help them grow."
Wolff only believes that if a woman gets to the competition, it should be completely on merit, rather than someone trying to take advantage of the situation in terms of marketing. "The story alone is not enough, you need a driver who is good enough to sustain their presence in F1 and I think that is the right approach to have. It is not just a marketing idea: "Let’s put a girl in the car to get people talking about us". It has to be something credible and real."
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