Susie Wolff facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Susie Wolff
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Wolff in 2022
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| Born |
Suzanne Stoddart
6 December 1982 Oban, Scotland
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| Education |
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| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 1 |
| DTM | |
| Years active | 2006–2012 |
| Teams | Mücke Motorsport, Persson Motorsport |
| Car no. | 24 |
| Starts | 73 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Poles | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| Best finish | 13th in 2010 |
| Previous series | |
| 2005 2002–04 |
British F3 British Formula Renault |
Suzanne Wolff (born Suzanne Stoddart on December 6, 1982) is a Scottish former professional racing driver. She is currently the managing director of F1 Academy.
Wolff started her racing journey in kart racing. She then moved up to bigger racing cars like Formula Renault and Formula Three. Later, she competed in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) for Mercedes-Benz.
In 2012, she joined the Williams team in Formula One. She worked as a development driver. At the 2014 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, she made history. She became the first woman to take part in a Formula One race weekend in 22 years. She participated in a practice session.
Susie Wolff announced her retirement from motorsport on November 4, 2015. Her last race was the Race of Champions in late November. In 2016, she became a Formula One analyst for Channel 4 in the UK.
In 2018, she became the Team Principal for Venturi Racing in Formula E. She was promoted to CEO in 2021. In August 2022, she left Venturi and Formula E.
Contents
Her Life Outside Racing
Susie's parents, John and Sally Stoddart, owned a motorcycle shop in Oban, Scotland. Her father, John, used to race bikes. Susie's parents met when her mother bought a motorbike from her father's shop. Susie also has an older brother named David.
When they were toddlers, their parents encouraged them to ski and ride bikes. The open areas around Oban were perfect for biking and go-karting. Susie realized she could be a racing driver at age 13. This happened after she watched her first Formula 3 race.
She started studying international business at Edinburgh University. However, she left after one year. A week later, she went to Silverstone to drive for Formula Renault.
In 2005, Susie broke her ankle while running. This injury, along with money problems, stopped her from racing in Formula Three that year.
She met her husband, Toto Wolff, while racing for Mercedes-Benz in DTM. He was a co-owner of HWA AG at the time. They got married in Capri in 2011. In 2017, they welcomed their son, Jack. Susie, Toto, and Jack now live in Monaco.
Racing Career Highlights
Starting in Karting
Wolff began karting when she was just eight years old. In 1996, she was named the British Woman Kart Racing Driver of the year. She continued to win many karting championships in 1997. She was first in the 24hr Middle East Kart Championship. She also won the Scottish Junior Intercontinental "A" and Scottish Open Junior Intercontinental "A" categories. She was again named British Woman Kart Racing Driver of the year.
In 1998, she moved to the British Junior Intercontinental "A" Championship. She finished 10th overall in her first season. She also competed in the Federation Cup European Intercontinental "A" Championship, placing 11th. For the third year in a row, she was named British Woman Kart Racing Driver of the year.
The next year, she raced in the British Formula "A" Championship. She finished 13th and was 34th overall in the Formula "A" World Championships. This earned her the British Woman Kart Racing Driver of the year award for a fourth time.
In 2000, Wolff improved her results. She took 10th in British Formula “A” and 15th in the Formula “A” World Championships. She later won an award as the Top Female Kart Driver in the world.
Moving to Single-Seater Racing
In 2001, Wolff moved from karting to single-seater racing. She started in the Formula Renault Winter Series. The next year, she made her debut in the full Formula Renault UK Championship.
In 2003, Wolff finished ninth overall in the Formula Renault UK Championship. She also achieved her first podium finish. She was recognized as a finalist for the BRDC McLaren Autosport Young Driver of the Year Award. Wolff was also chosen as the BRDC Rising Star of the Year.
For her third season in Formula Renault UK in 2004, Wolff raced for Comtec Racing. She finished fifth overall. She earned three podium finishes and scored points in 19 of the 20 races.
In 2005, Wolff moved up to the British Formula 3 Championship. Her season was cut short by an ankle injury.
Racing in DTM
In 2006, Wolff began racing in the DTM series. She drove for Mücke Motorsport. Her best finish was ninth in the final race at the Hockenheimring.
She stayed in DTM for 2007. Her best result was 10th place at Mugello in Italy. She then joined Persson Motorsport for the 2008 season.
In 2008, Wolff's best performance was 10th place at the Norisring. She achieved this result again in 2009 at Norisring and Oschersleben.
The 2010 season was Wolff’s best in DTM. She finished seventh at Lausitz and again at the Hockenheimring. She ended the season with four points and 13th in the Drivers’ Championship.
Wolff continued to race in DTM for two more years. She left the series before the 2012 finale. She wanted to focus on her testing duties with Williams in Formula One.
Her Time in Formula One
On April 11, 2012, Wolff was named a development driver for the Williams Formula One team. In 2014, Williams announced that Wolff would drive in two free practice sessions. These were at the British and German Grand Prix. At the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, Wolff became the first woman to take part in a Formula One weekend since 1992.
Her time on the track was short due to an engine problem. On July 18, 2014, Wolff drove in a practice session at the German Grand Prix. After some car problems were fixed, she performed well. She finished 15th out of 22 cars. Her time was very close to her teammate Felipe Massa's time.
On November 28, 2014, Williams announced Wolff would stay for the 2015 season. Her role was expanded to include two Friday practice runs and two test outings. She participated in pre-season testing. She also drove in practice for the Spanish and British Grand Prix.
On November 4, 2015, Wolff announced her retirement from Formula One. She felt she had gone as far as she could. However, she wanted to help other women in motorsport. Wolff competed one last time in the 2015 Race of Champions. She represented Scotland with former Formula One driver David Coulthard.
After Formula One
Wolff became an ambassador for Mercedes in 2016. As part of this role, she was one of the first to test the Mercedes-AMG One car.
Leading in Formula E
In 2018, Wolff joined Venturi Racing in Formula E. She became their Team Principal and a part-owner.
For the 2019–20 season, Venturi partnered with Mercedes-EQ for their car parts.
Under Wolff’s leadership, the team had its most successful season in 2020–21. They scored 146 points. Their driver, Edoardo Mortara, finished second in the Drivers' World Championship.
In November 2021, she was promoted to CEO. She announced her departure from Venturi in August 2022. This was because the team planned to change its name to Maserati MSG Racing.
Leading F1 Academy
On March 1, 2023, Wolff was appointed managing director of the new all-female racing series, F1 Academy. This series aims to help young female drivers progress in motorsport.
Race of Champions Participation
The Race of Champions planned to have a female driver for the first time in 2013. Wolff signed up for the event in Bangkok. However, it was canceled due to political issues.
In the 2014 event in Barbados, Wolff and Coulthard competed as Team United Kingdom. They reached the finals of the Nations' Cup but lost. In the Drivers' Cup, Wolff was eliminated early.
The 2015 Race of Champions was held in London. Wolff again partnered David Coulthard for Team Scotland. They did not make it to the semi-finals in the Nation’s Cup. Wolff was eliminated in the first round of the Drivers’ Cup. This marked the end of her professional racing career.
Dare To Be Different
After retiring from racing, Wolff co-founded Dare to be Different. She started it with Rob Jones, CEO of Motorsport UK. This non-profit group was launched in January 2016. Its goal is to get more women involved in motorsport.
The initiative holds events across the UK. It invites school girls aged eight to 14 to try racing activities. Dare to be Different has many supporters. These include former Williams Formula One Deputy Team Principal Claire Williams.
In February 2019, Dare to be Different joined forces with the FIA Girls on Track initiative. This helped them reach even more people. The first joint event was held at the 2019 Mexico City ePrix.
Awards and Recognition
On October 8, 2013, Wolff received an Honorary Fellowship from the University of Edinburgh. This was to recognize her role as an ambassador for women in sport. She had paused her studies at Edinburgh's Business School in 2001 to become a professional racer.
Wolff was also honored as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). This award was given in the 2017 New Year Honours list. It recognized her services to Women in Sport.
Images for kids
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Wolff (white) battling with Maro Engel, Ralf Schumacher and Katherine Legge at Hockenheim in 2008
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Wolff driving for Mercedes-Benz (Mücke Motorsport) in the 2006 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters season
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Wolff in 2007
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Wolff driving the Williams Renault at the Young Drivers' Test at Silverstone on 19 July 2013. She posted the ninth-quickest time of the day, 1m35.093s, after completing 89 laps
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Wolff testing the Williams FW36 at Silverstone during free practice
See also
In Spanish: Susie Wolff para niños
