Susie Wolff facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Susie Wolff
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Susie 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 |
Susie Wolff (born Suzanne Stoddart on 6 December 1982) is a Scottish former professional racing driver. She is now the managing director of F1 Academy, a racing series for women.
Susie started her racing journey in karting. 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, Susie 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.
On 4 November 2015, Susie Wolff announced she was retiring from motorsport. Her last race was the Race of Champions at the end of November. In 2016, she became a TV analyst for Formula One coverage on 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
About Susie's Life
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 her first motorbike from her father's shop. Susie also has an older brother named David.
When they were toddlers, their parents taught 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 when she was 13. She watched her first Formula 3 race and felt inspired.
She started studying international business at Edinburgh University. But she left after a year to focus on racing. A week later, she was at Silverstone driving 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 proposed to her in Venice. They got married in Capri in 2011. In 2017, they had a son named Jack. Susie, Toto, and Jack now live in Monaco.
Racing Career
Early Years in Karting
Susie Wolff started karting when she was only eight years old. In 1996, she was named the British Woman Kart Racing Driver of the year. The next year, 1997, she won many karting titles. She was champion in 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 in her first season. She also raced in the Federation Cup European Intercontinental "A" Championship, finishing 11th. For the third year in a row, she was named British Woman Kart Racing Driver of the year.
The following year, she raced in the British Formula "A" Championship. She finished 13th and was 34th 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, Susie improved her results. She finished 10th in British Formula “A” and 15th in the Formula “A” World Championships. She later won an award for being the Top Female Kart Driver in the world.
Formula Renault (2001–2004)
In 2001, Susie moved from karting to single-seater racing cars. She started in the Formula Renault Winter Series. The next year, she made her full debut in the Formula Renault UK Championship.
In the 2003 season, Susie finished ninth overall. She also achieved her first podium finish, meaning she placed in the top three. Her efforts were recognized when she became a finalist for the prestigious BRDC McLaren Autosport Young Driver of the Year Award. Susie was also chosen as the BRDC Rising Star of the Year.
For her third season in the Formula Renault UK Championship in 2004, Susie raced for Comtec Racing. She finished fifth overall in the final standings. She earned three podium finishes and scored points in 19 out of 20 races that season.
Formula Three (2005)
In 2005, Susie moved up to the British Formula 3 Championship. She raced for Alan Docking Racing. However, her season was interrupted by an ankle injury she got during the winter. Susie also made one appearance in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Brands Hatch.
DTM (2006–2012)
In 2006, Susie began racing in the DTM series. She drove a Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe for Mücke Motorsport. Her best finish was ninth place in the final race at the Hockenheimring.
She stayed in DTM for 2007 with Mücke Motorsport. Her best result was 10th place at Mugello in Italy. After that season, she joined Persson Motorsport for the 2008 season.
In 2008, Susie drove a newer car. Her best performance was 10th place at the Norisring. She achieved this result again in 2009 at the Norisring and Oschersleben.
The 2010 season was Susie's best in DTM. She was still with Persson Motorsport. She finished seventh at Lausitz and again at the Hockenheimring. She ended the season with four points and 13th place in the Drivers’ Championship.
Susie continued to race in DTM for two more years with Persson Motorsport. She announced she would leave the series before the 2012 final race. She wanted to focus completely on her testing work with Williams in Formula One.
Formula One
Williams (2012–2015)
On 11 April 2012, Susie Wolff was announced as a development driver for the Williams Formula One team. In 2014, Williams said Susie would drive in two free practice sessions. These were at the British and German Grand Prix. At the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, Susie became the first woman to take part in a Formula One weekend since 1992.
Susie's time on the track was cut short at Silverstone. An engine problem happened after she completed only one timed lap. On 18 July 2014, Susie drove in a free practice session at the German Grand Prix. This session also started with car problems. These issues were fixed, and Susie performed well. She finished 15th out of 22 cars. Her time was 1:20.769, just two-tenths of a second slower than her teammate Felipe Massa.
On 28 November 2014, Williams announced that Susie would stay with the team for the 2015 season. Her role was expanded to test driver. This meant she would have two Friday practice runs and two test outings. After driving in Formula One pre-season testing, Susie recorded a 1:29.708 lap. This was during the first practice session of the Spanish Grand Prix. She returned to the car for practice at the British Grand Prix. She posted a 1:37.242, finishing a respectable 13th place.
On 4 November 2015, Susie Wolff announced her retirement from Formula One. She said she felt she had gone as far as she could. However, she wanted to help other women in motorsport. Susie stated she would compete one last time in the 2015 Race of Champions. She represented Scotland alongside former Formula One driver David Coulthard. After this, she retired from all forms of motorsport.
Mercedes (2016–)
Susie Wolff joined Mercedes as an ambassador in 2016. As part of this role, she was one of the first people to test the Mercedes-AMG One car.
Formula E (2018–2022)
In 2018, Susie Wolff joined Venturi Racing in Formula E as Team Principal. She also became a part-owner of the team.
For the 2019–20 season, Venturi partnered with Mercedes-EQ for their car engines.
Under Susie'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. He was only seven points behind the winner.
In November 2021, Susie was promoted to CEO. Jérôme d'Ambrosio became Team Principal for the 2021–22 season. In August 2022, she announced she would leave Venturi. This was because the team planned to change its name to Maserati MSG Racing.
F1 Academy (2023–)
On 1 March 2023, Susie Wolff was appointed managing director. This was for the new all-female racing series called F1 Academy.
Race of Champions
The Race of Champions planned to have a female driver for the first time in its history. Susie Wolff signed up for ROC 2013. It was supposed to be held in Bangkok in December. Michèle Mouton, a very successful female rally driver, welcomed the news. However, the event was cancelled due to political issues in Bangkok.
In the 2014 event in Barbados, Susie and David Coulthard raced as Team United Kingdom. They reached the finals of the Nations' Cup but lost to Team Nordic. Susie lost to Tom Kristensen. Coulthard won against Petter Solberg but lost the tie-breaker to Kristensen. In the Drivers' Cup, Susie was eliminated early.
The 2015 Race of Champions was held in London. Susie again partnered David Coulthard to represent Team Scotland. In the Nation’s Cup, they did not make it to the semi-finals. They were eliminated by Team England 2. Susie lost to Alex Buncombe, and Coulthard was defeated by Jenson Button. Susie was eliminated in Round 1 of the Drivers’ Cup. This race marked the end of her professional motorsport career.
Dare To Be Different
After retiring from racing, Susie Wolff helped create Dare to be Different. She started it with Rob Jones, the CEO of Motor Sports Association. This non-profit group was launched on 14 January 2016. Its goal is to get more women involved in motorsport.
The organization holds events across the United Kingdom. It invites school girls aged eight to 14 to take part in racing activities. Dare to be Different has many supporters. These include former Williams Formula One Deputy Team Principal Claire Williams. Other supporters are Sky Sports F1 presenter Rachel Brookes and racing driver Tatiana Calderón.
In February 2019, Dare to be Different joined forces with the FIA Girls on Track initiative. This helped them reach more people. It raised awareness about opportunities for girls in motorsport. The first joint event was held at the 2019 Mexico City ePrix.
Awards and Recognition
On 8 October 2013, Susie 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.
Susie 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. She received it for 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
