Latest news with #SusieWolff
Daily Mail
10-07-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
F1 Academy partners with Gatorade to launch mission to secure a place for the next female driver on the grid - 'It's about inspiring the next generation to challenge the preconception that motorsports is a man's world'
The world of F1 has sky rocketed to unimaginable heights in the last few years with more eyes on the sport than ever before. As the sport continues its meteoric rise, other racing championships have also gained traction, carving out their own place in the motorsport landscape. One such example is the F1 Academy, which since its inaugural season in 2023, has gone from strength to strength, building a solid foundation for female drivers to pave their own way in racing world and challenge the outdated notion that 'motorsport is a man's world' says Susie Wolff. Now in a transformative step for females in motorsport, the F1 Academy has partnered with Gatorade to fuel the future of women's racing. Through this partnership, Gatorade becomes the official sports drink partner of the series, offering its world-leading sports science and hydration expertise to equip F1 Academy drivers with the tools they need to perform at their best under extreme conditions. F1 Academy's rapid growth has been extraordinary, something that the series' leaders attribute to the unwavering support of the broader motorsport community, including strategic partners like Gatorade. 'When we started with F1 Academy, I had big ambitions, but the progress we've made in such a short time would never have been possible without the huge commitment and support we've had from the sport,' says Susie Wolff, Managing Director of F1 Academy. 'I think we all know now how culturally relevant Formula One is becoming and how big the global fan base is. And 42% of that fan base is now female. 'It's thrilling to see the sport I love taking a real commitment to create more opportunities for women.' Wollf also points out that the alliance with Gatorade is more than just brand visibility. It's a collaboration that goes deeper than sticking a logo on a car, instead it provides F1 Academy drivers with access to Gatorade's world-class sports science and performance expertise. 'This isn't just about slapping a logo on a car,' says Wolff. 'Gatorade is going deep into the science of motorsport and hydration. 'They want our drivers to go to their institute in Florida, they want to understand how we can improve the hydration of our drivers. 'Motorsport, especially in hot climates, is physically demanding, and hydration plays a crucial role in driver performance. 'We don't know enough about female athletes in motorsport, so having Gatorade come in with the intention to help us tackle these challenges is a dream come true.' 42% of the Formula One fan base is now female and Wolff sees this as an opportunity to grow the number of women in Formula One Wolff explains, women's sport is at a pivotal moment, with increased investment and growing fan interest. 'Women's sport is having a moment. It's gaining a huge amount of attraction, and the audience numbers are growing,' she says. 'Just look at the UEFA Women's Champions League final in Lisbon—there's no question about the shift in how women's sports are being perceived.' And one of the key barriers F1 Academy and Gatorade want to break with this partnership is expanding the sports reach beyond the motorsport world. 'We're only in my second year, third overall and it's critical to reach a broader audience, says Wolff. 'That's where Gatorade's global presence can help. They've been in other sports for decades, and they bring fresh perspectives to motorsport.' Creating opportunities for young girls to race is fundamental to Gatorade and F1 Academy's mission. 'We need to get more young girls racing. If we don't, we won't exist in five years. 'It's about inspiring the next generation to challenge the preconception that motorsports is a man's world' says Wolff. While Wolff is unwavering in her belief that women can succeed at the highest level in Formula one, she stays realistic and acknowledges the challenges unique to female athletes in motorsport. 'We've never done much research into female athletes in motorsport. I know women have 30% less muscle mass than men, and racing is physically demanding. 'But it's not just about physicality... motorsport is different. It's about the car, the strategy, the teamwork. 'We need to better understand the physical barriers that could prevent women from advancing through the ranks, and that's where Gatorade's expertise comes in. 'How can we equip young girls from an earlier age to be better prepared for the challenges of racing? That's what we're working on.' And this is where Gatorade comes in, through this partnership the F1 Academy drivers will have access to Gatorade's elite sports science resources, including personalised hydration plans, performance testing, and research from the Gatorade Sports Science Institute. 'F1 Academy aims to train the next generation of female drivers… and we believe that with Gatorade, we have a unique opportunity to partner with the F1 Academy as part of our Fuel Tomorrow initiative,' Eugene Willemsen, CEO of International Beverages for PepsiCo said when he spoke to Mail Sport. For Gatorade, this is far from just a brand endorsement. The company has always been a science-driven brand, and this partnership with F1 Academy is about more than just being a sponsor. Gatorade's history dates back to the 1960s when it was developed at the University of Florida to support the football team. Since then, science has been at the heart of Gatorade's mission, allowing it to understand what athletes need to perform at their peak. 'The way we look at this partnership, it's more than just sponsoring or brand endorsement. 'Gatorade is the world's number one sports drink. Our sports drink is backed by science, it was created in the '60s, in Florida, at the University of Florida for the football team, the Gators,' Willemsen explains. 'And since then, science has been the backbone of Gatorade. So we've been able to understand, like no other brand, what it really requires to hydrate active athletes in the best possible way.' 'And If there's one sport where hydration is absolutely critical, it is F1. 'In an average race, an driver could lose up to four kilos of bodyweight, because of the liquids that the driver's losing during the race. 'So, we want to work with the drivers in our Gatorade Sports Sciences Institute to understand how we can better help them and also create personalised hydration solutions for them, that will help them perform better during the race, but also recover faster after the race,' Willemsen added. Gatorade's partnership with F1 Academy is holistic as Willemsen and Wolff both mention, it goes far beyond traditional sponsorship to instead focus on helping athletes perform at their peak, both on and off the track. 'So it's a holistic partnership. It's not just sponsorship. 'It's part of helping the athletes perform at their peak, which is what Gatorade has always been about,' Willemsen concluded.
New York Times
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
F1 Academy's Netflix debut opens doors, but struggles to tell the series' full story
Cheers filled The Fillmore Miami Beach during the Miami Grand Prix weekend at different moments as the opening scenes of 'F1: The Academy' played on a large screen. Susie Wolff, the all-women racing series' managing director, is the first voice viewers hear in the docuseries produced by Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine company. 'Formula One is dominated by men, but that is about to change,' Wolff said. Advertisement F1 Academy's inaugural season took place in 2023, and as the years passed, the series began aligning more with F1 and the other junior categories. Since 2024, all 10 F1 teams have supported a driver, with their liveries painted across cars similar to those used in Formula Four. That year, the F1 Academy's updated calendar landed the series on F1 weekends, competing in places such as Miami, Singapore, and Abu Dhabi. Heading into this year, the rules changed, bringing back reversed grids (which are also used in Formula Two and Formula Three sprint races). But F1 Academy's connection to the pinnacle of motorsport ventured outside of the racing spectacle. Netflix's docuseries 'Drive to Survive' opened up F1 to a wider audience, offering a behind-the-scenes look at what was once considered an exclusive sport. When Wolff stepped up to helm F1 Academy, she was told by many people to try to find time in the Box to Box product, a different way to promote the all-women category to an F1 audience. Instead, she set out to find her own docuseries to promote F1 Academy alone. In came Hello Sunshine. The production company took the behind-the-scenes concept a step further with how 'F1: The Academy' was edited, the season tracking multiple storylines from various drivers over the course of seven episodes. As expected, Abbi Pulling is one of the main focuses, as she won the championship last season, and the likes of Lia Block and Bianca Bustamante took center stage too. Here are a few standout moments from the latest motorsport docuseries to hit Netflix's platform and a few tidbits we learned across the seven-episode season. 'We were not trying to create drama where there was no drama, and some drivers complained that they didn't have much screen time,' Wolff told The Athletic. 'But we only picked the best stories because we couldn't cover everyone. We just had to pick the stories that we felt would resonate the most with people.' Advertisement 'F1: The Academy' gives a similar feel to the early 'Drive to Survive' days, though the newer show leans even more into showing raw, emotional moments and including multiple outside perspectives. One of the strengths of 'F1: The Academy' was the behind-the-scenes content, whether it be on-camera interviews with key people connected to a driver and captured conversations or emotional moments in driver rooms, makeshift garages or away from the track. You're able to see friendships develop and the camaraderie among the competitors. It provides a more human element to the competitive category. One of the early stars of the first episode is Warren Hughes, McLaren's head of driver development. Concerns are highlighted early on about Bustamante's performance and striking the right balance between the marketing and media side of the motorsport, and the competition. Hughes doesn't censor his opinions despite the camera being nearby. And there was significant family involvement in this first season. Block's mother, Lucy, is featured in numerous interviews, and both Lucy and Lia open up about the late Ken Block. Chloe Chambers' family is also featured, with a bulk of the filming taking place during the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix weekend, where the American driver won the second race. Hello Sunshine spent a portion of the episode talking about the family's story, as all three children are adopted. And Pulling's father and grandfather are brought in later on, with Hello Sunshine capturing Pulling and her father visiting her grandfather, then following her father during the Qatar Grand Prix weekend when she won the title. Near the end of episode six, 'The Hardest Race Of My Life,' Pulling's interview aired on track television screens as she spoke about her father's sacrifices, and Hello Sunshine's cameras captured him watching, as tears glistened in his eyes. Her father narrated a montage of clips capturing Pulling's journey to this moment, including winning the championship and securing a fully funded seat for the GB3 championship for 2025. Advertisement While Hello Sunshine brought in more supporting characters and behind-the-scenes footage, it nailed the emotional aspect that can make 'Drive to Survive' powerful. These drivers are athletes, but it sometimes feels as if the human aspect of sport can become lost when the competition is on the line. Wolff more than delivered when she was told to try to get screentime on F1's docuseries path. There's room for improvement for Hello Sunshine's project, like any in the early stages, but it nailed what's expected in the documentary world — capturing the behind-the-scenes moments and the emotions. As 'F1: The Academy' progresses through each episode, the audience meets different drivers and sees how their seasons unfold. They learn early on that Pulling is a force to be reckoned with, and they watch how Block's confidence grows — how she's forming her own legacy while also being Ken Block's daughter. Bustamante's story, though, hit a different note. Her engagement with fans and social media became a focal point, framing it as a distraction from her job as a driver. As of June 17, the Filipino driver has 1.7 million followers on Instagram and 1.4 million on TikTok. Bustamante explained how these opportunities help fund her racing, a notoriously expensive sport. Hughes was incredibly blunt throughout the season, claiming that with the external stuff, 'it is quite clear there is an element of distraction.' 'I think some of what Bianca did off track (was) arranged herself. It was a lot,' Wolff said. 'Was it all necessary? I can't judge, (but) she has to fund the next stage of her racing, because she knew she wasn't going to win the championship. In the end, they're all individuals. And you could see Lia hated all that stuff. She was all about the racing. But for Bianca, she got energy from that, and that's okay, but we also couldn't shy away from the fact that she didn't perform on track. 'She made rookie errors that she shouldn't have done at her stage of her career. So I do think it was a quite honest portrayal of each driver. There wasn't, I felt, anything edited to make a driver look different to how they were in reality.' Bustamante's mistakes were put under a microscope throughout this season. She stalled at the start of a race during the Miami GP weekend, then crashed during practice on the Dutch GP weekend and damaged her chassis and was unable to participate in one of the races. She was also out of position on the starting grid for a race during the Singapore GP weekend (missing her grid box entirely), resulting in a stop-and-go penalty. She endured a few collisions during the season and made driver errors. Wolff described the missed box moment episode as 'a beginner's mistake,' and Hughes said to Wolff, 'I know. It's really disappointing. It's a psychological thing more than anything.' Wolff responded,' Oh, listen, I feel for her, but I also just get to the point where…' and shakes her head. It's not that mistakes are rare in F1 Academy. Numerous drivers are still early in their respective careers. But, to Wolff's point, Bustamante has been competing in single-seaters since 2022 — including in the W Series and the UAE F4 championships. She joined F1 Academy in 2023 and scored podium finishes and won two races that year, finishing seventh with 116 points in the inaugural season. But her performances didn't progress, as she finished 2024 with no wins and was seventh again with 73 points. Advertisement 'I love Bianca for the character she is,' Wolff said. 'Was the on-track performance good enough? No. And as much as I can sometimes come across as quite brutal, I need to be, because if I'm going to keep the respect of this paddock and the people who know how tough the sport is, I can't be pretending that all of these girls are good enough to go on to a career. And the truth is, if you're not racing at the front in F1 Academy, which is a segregated series, yeah, it will be tough to make your way in a sport. This sport is tough regardless of your gender. 'So it was trying to create an environment where we're giving the drivers the best chance of success, but not shy them away from just how tough motorsport is.' Bustamante discussed in the fifth episode how she was distracted during what is the closest to a home race, in Singapore, the pressure mounting. A few scenes later, as night fell on the city state, she was scrolling through comments on social media, snippets popping up. She opened up about how vulnerable she felt after a bad race and, reading those comments, how she wanted to 'disappear from the world.' 'I don't think people see quite how much you have to deal with,' Hughes said to her. 'There's a lot of attention on you.' 'All these F1 drivers, they didn't have this amount of spotlight,' Bustamante responded. 'No one knew who they were until they made it and broke through. And it really has taken a toll on my performance. I think massively. It's the biggest factor.' While the docuseries introduces viewers to a few of the F1 Academy drivers and how its racing format worked in 2024, there are glaring omissions, such as acknowledging the first season in 2023 and where the championship fits in the motorsports ladder. The title alone suggests that the category is closer to the pinnacle of motorsport than it actually is. F1 Academy began in 2023 with a fairly different schedule and promotional position from what we see today. Marta García won the inaugural championship after securing seven victories, 12 podium finishes, and five pole positions. During that first season, the all-women junior series did race at numerous F1 circuits, such as Monza and Circuit of the Americas, but also competed at tracks currently not on the calendar, like Valencia or Le Castellet. And the coverage was hardly as visible as it is today. The races weren't broadcast, but fans could follow along on social media or monitor the live timing on F1 Academy's website. Then on Mondays, a highlights video was published, and a 15-minute program came midweek. Now, it's a night-and-day difference, with investment from the F1 teams, broadcasters airing coverage in over 160 territories, and the Netflix cameras in tow. And with all the eyes now on this series, it's worth highlighting where it sits. F1 Academy competes in a car similar to an F4 car, and that is around where the series sits in the motorsport ladder. Formula Regional and GB3 are in-between steps en route to F3, and F1 Academy is above karting, sometimes being someone's first introduction to a clutch. Advertisement The junior category, though, faces intense pressure. 'It's going to sound very brutal,' Wolff said in the fourth episode, 'but if you can't cut it in F1 Academy, there's not going to be much of a career left in motorsport for you.' Pulling revealed during one episode that without the championship, she likely wouldn't have been able to continue her career. Amna Al Qubaisi opened up when she realized her single-seater career was over after being unable to perform in 2024. And Bustamante came under scrutiny as she navigated the media and the sport. As Wolff said at one point, 'If you can't get the basics right…' F1 Academy is a racing series. Full stop. It's not a vanity project; for some drivers, it's how they've saved and advanced their careers. However, that doesn't mean F1 Academy doesn't face its questions and criticisms, such as whether the car is the right vehicle to help prepare these women for subsequent championships. It's a project still in its early stages, and it has marketing around it that's akin to F1. Whether it'll be successful in the other half of its purpose — training these rising drivers so they can progress in their careers — will be determined in the next couple of years. F1 Academy is about giving the drivers 'the environment where we can really nurture their talent,' as Wolff said in the docuseries, and inspiring the next generation of women. 'Eventually, I want to see a female driver in Formula One.' 'F1: The Academy' had the ingredients, but it felt as if it was missing components to fully tell the complete story of the all-women racing series. The explanatory component, such as the framework of its racing, is missing and the early barriers to entry for female drivers are left largely untouched. Challenges do exist within motorsport, and it's more than just a lack of representation and visibility for women, which F1 Academy and this docuseries do help address by giving these drivers a platform. In a way, the Hello Sunshine production is a success from that standpoint. Advertisement Looking at it from a filming standpoint, the footage is clear and crisp, and the emotional moments captured make the audience buy into the series. Different elements could resonate with both casual and motorsport audiences, and the series has an inspirational and empowering feel. But for it to be the movement that Wolff wants, we need to start unpacking the complicated state of women in motorsport. Times are changing, and progress is being made. It does feel like positive change is happening, and I do feel this docuseries is successful from an exposure and storytelling standpoint. Top photo: Tim Whitby – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
ABC News
20-06-2025
- Automotive
- ABC News
Teens Shriya Lohia and Aashi Hanspal make a mark in Indian motorsports
Aashi Hanspal wasn't always interested in engines and racetracks. "I was always into dance, art, craft and Barbie," the 18-year-old says. "So this is very different for me." She didn't even like racing the first time she tried it. "When I started getting the hang of it, I loved the speed. I thought to myself that this is something I may just end up doing," she said. Seventeen-year-old Shriya Lohia's entry into motorsport wasn't exactly planned either. "I tried multiple sports since I was a young girl, but nothing stuck with me the way motorsport did," she said. Lohia was 16 when she became India's youngest and first female Formula 4 driver in 2023. Now two years later, she's racing towards a future that once felt out of reach. Hanspal and Lohia are among the country's few teenage female drivers competing at both national and international levels. In 2020, Hanspal was the only Indian girl selected for the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile) Girls on Track — Rising Stars shootout in France. Two years later, Lohia was the sole Indian representative, among 14 girls chosen. Only 1.5 per cent of licensed motorsport drivers around the world are women, and the FIA Girls on Track program aims to identify and support young women in racing, so that can change. The global talent program is a not-for-profit initiative, spearheaded by former Formula 1 development driver Susie Wolff. Both racers say the motorsport ecosystem in India is changing to be more inclusive, but that they don't think it's happening fast enough. "With the introduction of Formula 4, Formula E in Hyderabad, and the Indian Racing League, things are getting better," Lohia said. "But we're still far behind Europe. Any progress is progress, though." The bigger change, they say, needs to happen off the track, in attitudes. "There are still families who won't let their daughters pursue something like this," Lohia said. "But my parents never thought that way. They pushed me to chase my dream." Racing may look like speed and swagger from the outside, but both women speak about the pressure that builds before the lights go out (lights going out, instead of green, is the terminology used in this type of racing). "You have to be very calm and composed," Hanspal said. "But when you set a benchmark for yourself, and others do too, you do get pressurised. "You can say you're calm, but when you're going to race 20 other guys and you're the only girl, it gets to you." Lohia describes race days as a tunnel of focus. "Maybe the pre-race moments are nerve-racking, but once I'm on track, it's just focusing on the next lap, the next corner, the car in front of you," she said. Still, the emotional weight builds over time. "I used to never cry," Hanspal admits. "Then before my last race, I'd start sobbing. Either you go numb to everything, or it all pours out." The physical toll can be tough too. In late 2023, Hanspal had a major crash during a race. Her suspension failed at high speed, sending her car crashing into a metal wall. "I broke my hand. It was right before a corner, the fastest part of the straight," she said. "It took a while to come back from that." With female participation in Indian motorsport scarce, the women feel it. "I would always travel with my dad. I didn't have any kind of female figure around on race weekends," Lohia said. "It didn't hit me until I had to change into racing gear, the guys just do it anywhere. But I couldn't. That's when it strikes you — I'm the only girl here." Hanspal shares similar experiences. "I've always heard: you have to beat the boys or be like the boys," she said. "People may mean well, but it gets in your head." Both say they've had supportive male peers; but infrastructure, especially in India, has not caught up. "Abroad it's a little more accommodating, but here, they're not even expecting female drivers," Lohia said. Racing in India isn't just emotionally demanding, it's expensive. And female racers often have to prove the sport is worth investing in. "Sponsorships are very tough," Hanspal said. "Racing is seen as a leisure sport, not a real career like cricket. My dad is funding me right now, and we're always looking for support, but it's not easy." Lohia has also seen her family's lifestyle shift entirely to support her dreams. "My parents made so many sacrifices. They adjusted everything for me. That's the kind of support you need in this sport." Both also credit their schools with helping them stay on top of academics. "My teachers would change their schedules to teach me one chapter at a time," Hanspal said. "I could never be more grateful." Both women look up to current and past Formula 1 stars, and their ambitions match. Lohia names Michael Schumacher as her all-time favourite, along with India's Formula 2 driver Kush Maini. "He's been a huge inspiration. I've met him a few times — just an amazing driver and person," she said. Among female racers, she looks up to Jamie Chadwick and Sophia Flörsch. Her ultimate goal though, is the pinnacle of Formula 1, and what's considered one of the most difficult tracks on the planet. "I'd love to race in Monaco one day. There's just something about it that makes you feel like you've made it," Lohia said. Hanspal's idols are Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. "Max is ruthless — he sees a gap and just takes it. That's what I want to learn from," she said. And for girls watching them now, the teenage driver has just one message. "Even if you don't like it at first, give it a proper chance. That's what I did. And look at me now." Srishtee Ramchandani is a journalist and storyteller exploring how sport intersects with identity, youth, and culture. She also runs Cric-Connect, a platform offering fresh perspectives on the game of cricket. Srishtee is part of ABC International Development's Women in News and Sport Initiative, funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade through the Team Up program.
Hamilton Spectator
15-06-2025
- Automotive
- Hamilton Spectator
F1 Academy director Susie Wolff wants to inspire more women to race
MONTREAL - Susie Wolff is the most recent female driver to get behind the wheel of a Formula One car during a Grand Prix weekend. She wants to make sure she wasn't the last. To cap her decorated racing career, Wolff took part in a free practice session four times, making her debut for Williams at the British Grand Prix in 2014 to become the first woman since 1992 to participate in F1. Since 2023, the 42-year-old from Scotland has worked as the managing director for F1 Academy, an F1-funded series helping young female drivers develop in the sport. 'F1 Academy is a chance of a lifetime to create positive impact in the sport,' she said. 'I certainly never thought in my lifetime that I would see an all-female series financed, invested in and supported by F1 and all 10 Formula One teams racing on F1 weekend.' F1 Academy is considered the top women's circuit after the W Series disbanded in 2022. Drivers must be aged 16 to 25 and can only compete for two seasons in the single-seater F4 championship. The series, which recently signed a major partnership with Gatorade as its official sports drink, made its debut at the Canadian GP with two races on Saturday followed by another on Sunday. Gatorade sponsored 16-year-old wild card driver Mathilda Paatz in her debut this weekend. Canadian GP organizers announced Saturday that F1 Academy would return to Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Grand Prix weekend through 2028. 'We love it. We're feeling so much love here,' Wolff said. 'So much passion from the fans.' Past F1 Academy winners have graduated to higher levels of motorsport. The goal, eventually, is for more female drivers to rise up to F1. 'That's a long-term ambition. We've got to be realistic in that it's tough to get to Formula One, regardless of your gender,' Wolff said. 'We already see more women, in the whole paddock and racing, if it's about when we're going to see women in Formula One, then for sure, it's going to take a bit more time.' In the meantime, F1 Academy offers young female drivers a chance to develop their careers for two years under the F1 umbrella. 'I know that (F1 participation) is not something that will happen overnight, but the truth is, in motorsport, we have an issue with it being quite inaccessible,' Wolff said. 'There's a high financial barrier to entry, and I think by breaking down the kind of barriers in terms of showing women what the pathway can be, and then secondly, taking away that financial barrier, we just give these young drivers a much better chance of success.' Just over a decade since her F1 debut, Wolff said the F1 Academy represents just how much things have changed for women in motorsports. 'It was massively different (in 2014), because I was always the only one, but also the world was different,' she said. 'We've seen a lot of positive change, and I think the sport has progressed with that. 'I don't have any bitterness or regret to look back and say, 'God, I would have loved this opportunity.' I would have, but I also feel a certain pride in having made it possible for the next generation.' Wolff never started a race in F1. Only two women have, but not in nearly five decades. Maria Teresa de Filippis raced in three from 1958 to 1959, while Lella Lombardi totalled 17 starts between 1974 and 1976. Moving forward, Wolff said she has two main objectives for the F1 Academy: growing its audience and inspiring more women to participate in racing. 'Educating people that we exist and that we're entertaining racing to watch, and that then leads to the second (thing) — by existing, we need to inspire more young women to get into the sport,' she said. 'We don't have the luxury of there being thousands and thousands of young girls racing. We need more racing so that we can take the very base of the crop and help them excel up the motorsport ladder.' Wolff, who is married to Mercedes executive Toto Wolff, notes that F1's following has shifted, with '42 per cent of the global fan base now female.' The championship has gained exposure with its 'F1: The Academy' docuseries on Netflix, inspired by F1's highly successful behind-the-scenes 'Drive To Survive' show. 'There's just so many more women in the paddock, watching the sport, and now with F1 Academy, competing in the sport,' she said. 'That wasn't the case 10 years ago. We've still got a long way to go, but we've definitely seen progress.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 15, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
15-06-2025
- Automotive
- Winnipeg Free Press
F1 Academy director Susie Wolff wants to inspire more women to race
MONTREAL – Susie Wolff is the most recent female driver to get behind the wheel of a Formula One car during a Grand Prix weekend. She wants to make sure she wasn't the last. To cap her decorated racing career, Wolff took part in a free practice session four times, making her debut for Williams at the British Grand Prix in 2014 to become the first woman since 1992 to participate in F1. Since 2023, the 42-year-old from Scotland has worked as the managing director for F1 Academy, an F1-funded series helping young female drivers develop in the sport. 'F1 Academy is a chance of a lifetime to create positive impact in the sport,' she said. 'I certainly never thought in my lifetime that I would see an all-female series financed, invested in and supported by F1 and all 10 Formula One teams racing on F1 weekend.' F1 Academy is considered the top women's circuit after the W Series disbanded in 2022. Drivers must be aged 16 to 25 and can only compete for two seasons in the single-seater F4 championship. The series, which recently signed a major partnership with Gatorade as its official sports drink, made its debut at the Canadian GP with two races on Saturday followed by another on Sunday. Gatorade sponsored 16-year-old wild card driver Mathilda Paatz in her debut this weekend. Canadian GP organizers announced Saturday that F1 Academy would return to Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Grand Prix weekend through 2028. 'We love it. We're feeling so much love here,' Wolff said. 'So much passion from the fans.' Past F1 Academy winners have graduated to higher levels of motorsport. The goal, eventually, is for more female drivers to rise up to F1. 'That's a long-term ambition. We've got to be realistic in that it's tough to get to Formula One, regardless of your gender,' Wolff said. 'We already see more women, in the whole paddock and racing, if it's about when we're going to see women in Formula One, then for sure, it's going to take a bit more time.' In the meantime, F1 Academy offers young female drivers a chance to develop their careers for two years under the F1 umbrella. 'I know that (F1 participation) is not something that will happen overnight, but the truth is, in motorsport, we have an issue with it being quite inaccessible,' Wolff said. 'There's a high financial barrier to entry, and I think by breaking down the kind of barriers in terms of showing women what the pathway can be, and then secondly, taking away that financial barrier, we just give these young drivers a much better chance of success.' Just over a decade since her F1 debut, Wolff said the F1 Academy represents just how much things have changed for women in motorsports. 'It was massively different (in 2014), because I was always the only one, but also the world was different,' she said. 'We've seen a lot of positive change, and I think the sport has progressed with that. 'I don't have any bitterness or regret to look back and say, 'God, I would have loved this opportunity.' I would have, but I also feel a certain pride in having made it possible for the next generation.' Wolff never started a race in F1. Only two women have, but not in nearly five decades. Maria Teresa de Filippis raced in three from 1958 to 1959, while Lella Lombardi totalled 17 starts between 1974 and 1976. Moving forward, Wolff said she has two main objectives for the F1 Academy: growing its audience and inspiring more women to participate in racing. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. 'Educating people that we exist and that we're entertaining racing to watch, and that then leads to the second (thing) — by existing, we need to inspire more young women to get into the sport,' she said. 'We don't have the luxury of there being thousands and thousands of young girls racing. We need more racing so that we can take the very base of the crop and help them excel up the motorsport ladder.' Wolff, who is married to Mercedes executive Toto Wolff, notes that F1's following has shifted, with '42 per cent of the global fan base now female.' The championship has gained exposure with its 'F1: The Academy' docuseries on Netflix, inspired by F1's highly successful behind-the-scenes 'Drive To Survive' show. 'There's just so many more women in the paddock, watching the sport, and now with F1 Academy, competing in the sport,' she said. 'That wasn't the case 10 years ago. We've still got a long way to go, but we've definitely seen progress.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 15, 2025.
