The question of when a female driver will line up on the Formula 1 grid is a persistent one for F1 Academy managing director Susie Wolff. However, as the all-female racing series continues to grow, Wolff is clear that having a woman in F1 is not the only benchmark of success for the series.
Speaking during an in-season test at Silverstone, Wolff reflected on the impact that F1 Academy is having on motorsport. While an F1 seat remains one of the main targets for many young racers, Wolff was quick to temper expectations.
“I think it’s important to remember there are only 22 spots in Formula 1, and there are thousands of drivers, regardless of male or female, trying to make it,” Wolff explained in a video shared to the F1 Academy YouTube channel.
“So, it’s tough to get to Formula 1. We had our F1 Academy champion from last year, Doriane Pin, in the Mercedes F1 car. The first time a female has ever driven a Mercedes Formula 1 car. So, we are seeing that there is progress.
“Doriane did incredibly well at that test, and I think surprised quite a few people. So, I feel like we’re on a good trajectory. We need to get more young women racing. We’ve got to break down the stereotypes that this is still a male-dominated environment, so we get the next generation coming up.
F1 Academy Managing Director Susie Wolff
Photo by: Kym Illman / Getty Images
“But if we do a good job with F1 Academy, it will be inevitable to see a woman in F1. But is that the sign of success for me? It’s not the only sign. It’s something I hope we’ll see happen in the not-too-distant future, but I don’t think that’s the only clear goal of F1 Academy.”
When asked what the sign of success would be for her, Wolff added: “More women in this paddock, more young women out there racing and trying to make it into F1 Academy. That for me is a sign that the sport is progressing in the right way.”
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