Drive Further with Susie Wolff
We sat down with Susie Wolff, Managing Director of F1 ACADEMY™, to discuss her journey from aspiring driver to a leader shaping change in motorsport.
In the interview, Susie reflects on the defining moments that shaped her career, the barriers still facing women in motorsport and leadership, and how F1 ACADEMY™ is building a clearer pathway for the next generation.
As a young girl with aspirations in motorsport, what did you dream of achieving? Were there any defining moments that gave you the belief that you could succeed?
I started racing when I was eight because I loved the speed, the adrenaline and the competition. At that age, you’re not thinking about a career, you’re simply doing what you love, and I’ll always be grateful that I found that passion so early in life.
It changed from being a hobby when I was 13 and attended a Formula 3 race. That was the moment I realised you could make a career out of motorsport, and that’s when my dream of reaching F1 was born.
I was lucky enough to have some defining opportunities throughout my career, including racing for Mercedes-Benz in German Touring Cars and testing for the Williams F1 Team. What gave me belief wasn’t one big breakthrough – it was the small achievements along the way. Confidence builds over time, and as long as you have the resilience and grit to keep going, the courage to keep believing in yourself, and a clear vision of where you want to get to, you give yourself a much better chance of succeeding.
If you can see it, you can believe it. Representation matters.
What, from your experience, are some of the barriers standing in the way for other women and girls in sport and leadership?
Motorsport, and Formula 1 in particular, has historically been very male-dominated, which naturally creates challenges around access, visibility and belief. I’ve always believed that if you can see it, you can believe it. Representation matters. When young girls see women competing, leading and succeeding, it helps them imagine themselves in those roles. Through F1 ACADEMY™, we are working to break down those outdated perceptions and build a clear, credible pathway, not just for drivers, but for women across all areas of the sport.
Your career has evolved from competing on track to leading one of the sport’s most important initiatives. What has been the most challenging period along the way, and how has that influenced how you approach leadership today?
Transitioning from being a driver to stepping into a leadership role was definitely a significant shift. As a driver, your world is very individual, whereas leadership is about creating a vision and empowering a team around you. Leading F1 ACADEMY™ comes with real responsibility, because the ambition is to drive meaningful, lasting change. That isn’t something that happens overnight. It has reinforced for me the importance of resilience, clarity of purpose and staying authentic. Change requires consistency, and you have to be prepared to play the long game.
Leadership is about creating a vision and empowering a team around you.
Since launching F1 ACADEMY™, what have been the most encouraging signs that it is helping to change perceptions and create new opportunities for young women in the sport and beyond sport?
One of the most encouraging signs has been the genuine shift in belief among young girls coming into the sport. When I visit karting tracks now, I can feel the difference at a grassroots level. When I was racing, I was often the only girl on the grid, but today we are seeing participation levels reach 30 per cent female in some championships, which is incredibly positive. It shows that we are starting to build momentum and visibility, and that the next generation is beginning to see motorsport as a viable path.
The Wild Card initiative has opened opportunities for drivers such as Autumn Fisher to compete on the global stage. What was the rationale behind introducing this, and what gap does it aim to address within the driver pathway?
The Wild Card initiative was designed to address a very real gap in the pathway. There is a huge amount of talent globally, but not every driver has the access, funding or visibility required to progress. By creating the Wild Card opportunity, we are able to bring regional talent into an international environment, giving them both experience and exposure. It also plays an important role in inspiring young girls in those regions, showing them that there is a pathway and that this is a sport they can be part of.
94 per cent of female C-suite leaders played sport when they were young. Having started in sport and now in your leadership role at F1 ACADEMY™, what role do you think sport can play in helping to shape the next generation on female leaders?
Sport is a powerful foundation for leadership. It teaches resilience, discipline and how to perform under pressure from a young age. For girls and young women in particular, it can be incredibly empowering; it builds confidence and self-belief as well as a willingness to step outside your comfort zone. Those are all qualities that translate directly into leadership, and it’s why encouraging participation in sport at a young age is so important.
Partnerships with global organisations like Standard Chartered are about far more than sponsorship.
Why is it important for global organisations, such as Standard Chartered, to partner with F1 ACADEMY™ and support the Wild Card initiative, and what role can they play in helping to champion opportunities for women in sport?
Driving meaningful change requires collective effort. Partnerships with global organisations like Standard Chartered are about far more than sponsorship; they are about shared values and a commitment to creating opportunity. Their support helps to increase visibility and accelerate progress. When organisations step up in this way, they send a strong message about the importance of inclusion and representation not just in motorsport, but across society more broadly.