Back in 2014, Susie Wolff became the first woman in 22 years to take part in an F1 race weekend. She got the chance to test for Williams during a practice session. In a report by The New Yorker, Susie revealed what her husband, Toto Wolff, told her leading up to what was going to be the biggest day in her career.
Susie spoke about the exchange between her and Toto when she said goodbye before stepping into the car. She said, “He looked at me. There was a pause and I thought, O.K., he’s going to say something really nice. And he looked at me, deadpan straight, and said, ‘Don’t be shit.’”
Susie had joined Williams back in 2012 as their development driver. She finally got her chance to step into the F1 car at the 2014 British GP for a practice session. While luck wasn’t in her favor on this occasion as her session ended early due to engine issues, she did get another opportunity in Germany.
She managed to take full advantage of this opportunity as she finished the session 15th out of the 22 cars that participated. She then participated in two more practice sessions for Williams in 2015 but that was pretty much it for her in F1.
Susie then decided to retire, claiming that she had gone as far as she could have. Subsequently, she then went through a variety of administrative roles including being a team principal in Formula E. As of now, she’s heading the F1 Academy series. This series’ aim is to help women climb the ladder of motorsports.
Things have turned a bit ugly for Susie Wolff
The Formula 1 Management started the all-female racing series – F1 Academy, as a replacement for the now non-functional W Series. Susie Wolff was announced as the managing director of the series in March, with the understanding that her experience as a woman in motorsports would be of immense importance to the management of the series.
However, things recently turned ugly for the 41-year-old as the FIA started an investigation on her and her husband Toto Wolff. It is understood that the governing body of F1 is concerned about an “allegation of information of a confidential nature being passed.”
Susie Wolff has since denied the claims altogether and defended herself with extremely strong words. She said, “In the strongest possible terms, I reject these allegations.” She then also called the accusations ‘intimidatory and misogynistic‘ and denied any wrongdoing.
