WCW: Susie Wolff

You may not have ever heard of Susie Wolff, but she is a woman you should get to know, especially if you’re a motorsports fan.

While she doesn’t have the racing resume or exposure as some of the women we’ve featured in our Woman Crush Wednesday series, she is an inspirational woman young girls can look up to and emulate. Rather than spending her time competing in some of the biggest races in the world, she spent much of her time in Formula One racing as a test driver for the Williams team, which is where she made her mark.

Testing Cars Became the Right Job

The drivers we see in the races on the weekend aren’t typically the same ones that test cars and perform the initial runs behind the wheel. This job does to developmental drivers that take the cars out and critique the performance. Wolff began this job in 2012 and eventually saw the track in a public way at the 2014 British Grand Prix, where she ran laps during the Free Practice 1 session. This particular session wasn’t great for Susie; her car developed an oil-pressure problem, and she was only able to set one timed lap during that weekend.

A Second Chance at the First Session

Later that same year, Susie Wolff had a much better experience at the 2014 German Grand Prix during the first racing session. This time, she finished 15theven though her car was stuck in gear during the entire first lap. This ended up being a good showing for her and the two weekends combined to make her the first woman to participate in Grand Prix weekends since Giovanna Amati did so in 1992. While it doesn’t sound like groundbreaking news, she became the next woman to make these drives, setting the stage for other women to follow her.

Williams Extends Wolff for More Driving

At the end of 2014, Williams announced they would extend Susie’s job, and she would be a test driver. She competed in practice sessions in Spain and Britain during the 2015 Barcelona test and the Spielberg test. The following November, Wolff announced her retirement after the 2015 Race of Champions because she felt she wouldn’t be given a seat and continue her role. Even though that was the case, she hoped that her time in Formula One would bring more women to the open-wheel racing circuit in the future.

A Bit About Her Personal Life

Susie Wolff (born Stoddart) is from Oban, Scotland, and is married to Toto Wolff. Toto is formerly a shareholder in the Williams team and is the principal and CEO of the Mercedes Formula One Team. Susie and her husband continued to act as friends to Williams and welcomed their first child into the world in April 2017. While her racing career is over, Susie hasn’t stopped working in the racing world at all.

What Is She Doing Now?

Not long after she retired from racing, Susie Wolff announced a new initiative as a joint venture with the Motorsports Association. This initiative is called “Dare to Be Different,” and its goal is to bring more females into motorsports. Wolff also became an analyst for Formula One races around Europe.

Since 2018, Susie Wolff has held the position of CEO of the Venturi Formula E Team, adding another paragraph to her already impressive resume. Without a doubt, Susie Wolff is worthy of a spot in our Women Crush Wednesday series. She continues to work for women in racing while also being a leader for all motorsports racers and fans to admire.