From a young age, Susie Wolff knew she wanted to make it big in the world of motorsports. She started at the age of eight and climbed up the ladder to reach F1 as a reserve driver in 2012. However, the F1 Academy director looks back on her junior career today and sees her gender being the primary focus. She highlights a particular moment to emphasize the same and is working hard towards changing things for future generations.
On the REC Parenting podcast, Wolff narrates how when she was young, she was given an award just for being a woman, in a race she finished 15th in.
It made her realize that in this world, women being in motorsports was unusual. Almost every interview she had been a part of, focused on her being a girl whereas she was just pursuing her dreams.
“With my job at the F1 Academy, it’s the same thing,” said Wolff. “It’s trying to make it easier for the next generation. So I don’t, for me, it wasn’t an unusual career path. Because I was just following my passion, but it did become a huge topic throughout my career.”
With F1 Academy, Wolff wants to inspire more women to get into motorsport. She isn’t just focusing on getting drivers, but wants widespread participation in every department, starting from management to technical.
Susie Wolff reveals how her family played a part in her career in motorsport
Socially considered to be a usual career path for women in particular, Wolff revealed that her family was always very supportive of her dreams. In the podcast, the host asked Wolff why she chose racing. Her answer was simple. Motorsports surrounded her while she was growing up and instilled a passion inside her.
She spoke about how her parents met in a motorbike shop owned by Wolff’s dad and how even today, they run it together. “So I grew up in an environment where I had a little motorbike,” the 41-year-old said. “And I loved it. I was that competitive little girl that loved speed. I loved the adrenaline. I always wanted to race my brother. I think my brother played a big part.”
As such, racing was normalized in her household. It never felt like an unnatural career choice to the Brit, and it was only after she started racing competitively, did Wolff noticed a serious lack of gender diversity in motorsports.
As the head of F1 Academy today, she looks to help the future generations avoid what she went through.
