F1 News
Susie Wolff is clear: 'That's the goal to achieve with F1 Academy!'
Former driver Susie Wolff has a clear goal for F1 Academy's future. The Briton talked about her position, and what she experienced in the past in the F1 paddock as female driver.
The Managing Director of F1 Academy, Susie Wolff was the first female driver to drive at a weekend since 1992, back in the 2014 season. In total, she could drive for Williams in four free practice sessions throughout her career over two F1 seasons, after she previously competed in DTM.
When talking about he experience to La Gazzetta dello Sport, she explained: "For a long time I felt forced to enter the paddock without taking care of my appearance, without putting on makeup or putting myself in the best possible way as I would have liked, because I thought that at that point if the other drivers or more generally all the people in the 'circus' had seen me, I would not have been taken seriously in comparison with men. Being the only woman, this comparison has always been strong for me. But I think those times are now long gone, fortunately."
Now, the wife of Mercedes CEO and team principal Toto Wolff shares that experience with the drivers in F1 Academy, although she would prefer not to connect with everyone individually in order to shy away from 'favoritism'. "I often speak to the group because I see their difficulties and I know how it feels in certain moments. I try to explain to the girls that it’s important to balance the emotional rollercoaster of race weekends: a bad placing, or a bad year, doesn’t define who you are. Neither does success. It’s easier for me now, but it took me a while to understand that."
Wolff also a clear goal to achieve with the series. "I want to get the F1 Academy to a point where it has really solid foundations and doesn’t need me to slam doors to make things happen. The aim is for it to have a totally sustainable business and brilliant talent. I want to stay until I’m sure it works, not just a nice try."
The next exciting female talent in motorsport?
Previously, the former driver said that a decade would pass before a female driver would reach Formula One's heights, however, Wolff partially regrets that because for some, it might share a negative message that the current generation is not good enough as drivers.
In terms of the next big talent, she did name a young driver to watch. "For example, Luna Fluxa is a 14-year-old promising [driver] who has already been part of the Mercedes Academy for two years with excellent results. We cannot know if this talent will be the one who will arrive in F1, but we must work as if she were."
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