Susie Wolff
Suzanne Wolff,[1] MBE (née Stoddart; born 6 December 1982) is a British former professional racing driver from Scotland. Her parents, John and Sally Stoddart, owned a motorcycle dealership in Oban and her father raced bikes competitively.[2]
Susie Wolff MBE | |
|---|---|
 Wolff in 2014 | |
| Born | Suzanne Stoddart 6 December 1982 Oban, Scotland |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | Oban High School, University of Edinburgh |
| Spouse(s) | Toto Wolff (m. 2011) |
| Children | 1 |
| DTM | |
| Years active | 2006–2012 |
| Teams | Mücke Motorsport, Persson Motorsport |
| Car number | 23 |
| Starts | 73 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Poles | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| Best finish | 13th in 2010 |
| Previous series | |
| 2005 2002–04 | British F3 British Formula Renault |
She progressed through the ranks of motorsport, starting off in karting, before graduating to Formula Renault and Formula Three, then moving to the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) to compete for Mercedes-Benz. In 2012, she was signed by Williams in Formula One[3] to work as a development driver and made history at the 2014 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, becoming the first woman to take part in a Formula One race weekend in 22 years.[4] On 4 November 2015, Wolff announced her retirement from motorsport, last competing at the Race of Champions held at the end of November.
In 2016, Wolff joined Channel 4 in the UK to be an analyst for their Formula One coverage. In 2018, she joined Venturi Racing in Formula E as Team Principal.[5]
She lives in Ermatingen, Switzerland, with her husband Toto Wolff, Team Principal and CEO of the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team.[6] The two were married in October 2011.[7] In October 2016, Wolff announced on Twitter that she was pregnant with their first child.[8][9] On 10 April 2017, she gave birth to a boy.
Career
Early years
Wolff began karting at the early age of eight, and in 1996 she was named the British Woman Kart Racing Driver of the year. In 1997, she competed in a number of different karting categories and succeeded in most. She was first in the 24hr Middle East Kart Championship, champion in both the Scottish Junior Intercontinental "A" and the Scottish Open Junior Intercontinental "A" categories and was again named British Woman Kart Racing Driver of the year.[10]
In 1998, she moved up to the British Junior Intercontinental "A" Championship and was placed 10th overall in her first season in the class. She also competed in the Federation Cup European Intercontinental "A" Championship and placed 11th overall. For the third consecutive season, she was named British Woman Kart Racing Driver of the year.[10]
The following year, she competed in the British Formula "A" Championship and was placed 13th, also achieving 34th overall in the Formula "A" World Championships to receive the accolade of British Woman Kart Racing Driver of the year for a fourth time.
In 2000, Wolff improved on her previous performances to take 10th in British Formula “A” and 15th in the Formula “A” World Championships, later winning an award which named her as the Top Female Kart Driver in the world.[11]
Formula Renault (2001–04)
In 2001, Wolff graduated from kart racing to single-seater racing, gaining her first experience in the Formula Renault Winter Series, in which she competed for the Motaworld Racing team. The following year she made her debut in the full Formula Renault UK Championship for DFR Racing while again representing Motaworld in the Formula Renault Winter Series.
In the 2003 season, Wolff finished ninth overall in the Formula Renault UK Championship and secured her maiden podium finish, achieving recognition for her efforts as one of the finalists in the prestigious BRDC McLaren Autosport Young Driver of the Year Award. Wolff was also selected as the BRDC Rising Star of the Year.
For her third season in the Formula Renault UK Championship in 2004, Wolff raced for Comtec Racing and finished fifth overall in the final standings, taking three podium finishes and points in 19 of the season’s 20 races.[12]
Formula Three (2005)
For 2005, Wolff advanced to the British Formula 3 Championship to compete for Alan Docking Racing in the Championship Class. Her season was disrupted by an ankle injury sustained during the winter. Wolff also made a one-off appearance in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Brands Hatch in June.[12]
DTM (2006–12)
In 2006, Wolff stepped up to compete in the DTM – one of the biggest Touring Car championships in the world. Racing for Mücke Motorsport, she drove a 2004-spec Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe and achieved a best finish of ninth overall in the final round at the Hockenheimring to complete her debut season.
Remaining in the DTM for 2007, again driving for Mücke Motorsport, Wolff recorded her best result at Mugello in Italy, where she finished in 10th place. At the end of the season, she left Mücke Motorsport to join Persson Motorsport for the 2008 season.
Moving up to a 2007-spec car, Wolff recorded her best performance of 2008 in June’s race at the Norisring in which she finished 10th – a result she equalled in 2009 on two occasions again at the Norisring and Oschersleben.
2010 showcased Wolff’s best season in the DTM and her third with Persson Motorsport. Taking a seventh-placed finish at Lausitz, she again matched this performance at the Hockenheimring to conclude the season with four points and 13th in the Drivers’ Championship.
Wolff continued to race in the DTM for a further two years Persson Motorsport and announced her departure from the series ahead of the 2012 finale at the Hockenheimring, ending her seven-season tenure to focus solely on her testing duties with Williams in Formula One.
Williams (2012–15)
On 11 April 2012, Wolff was named as a development driver for the Williams Formula One team.[3][13] In 2014, Williams announced that Wolff would be driving in two free practice sessions at the British and German Grand Prix. At the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, Wolff became the first woman to participate in a Formula One weekend since 1992, when Giovanna Amati made three unsuccessful Grand Prix qualification attempts.
Wolff’s time on the track was cut short after an engine problem occurred after completing just one timed lap.[14] On 18 July 2014, Wolff drove in a free practice session at the German Grand Prix which also started with car problems. These issues were solved and Wolff put in a good performance, finishing the session in 15th place out of 22 cars with a time of 1:20.769, just two-tenths of a second behind team-mate Felipe Massa’s 11th-placed 1:20.542 time.
On 28 November 2014, Williams announced that Wolff would stay with the team for the 2015 season in an enhanced role as test driver, with her position expanded to include two Friday practice runs and two test outings.[15] After driving in Formula One pre-season testing, Wolff clocked a 1:29.708 lap in the first practice session of the Spanish Grand Prix and returned to the cockpit in practice for the British Grand Prix, posting a 1:37.242 for a respectable 13th place out of 20 cars.
On 4 November 2015, Wolff announced on the BBC that she was retiring from Formula One, stating that she felt that she had gone as far as she could go, but expressed intentions to help other women in motorsport.[16] Wolff stated that she would compete for one final time in the 2015 Race of Champions at the end of November, representing Scotland alongside former Formula One driver David Coulthard, before subsequently retiring from all forms of motorsport.[17]
Mercedes (2016–)
Wolff joined Mercedes as one of their ambassadors in 2016.
Formula E (2018–)
In 2018, Wolff joined Venturi Racing in Formula E as Team Principal and also became a shareholder in the team.[5]
Under Wolff’s management, the Monegasque outfit experienced its most successful campaign to date in the 2018-19 season, recording 88 points to finish eighth after claiming its maiden victory at the Hong Kong ePrix and two further podium finishes.
For Season 6, Venturi entered a powertrain partnership with Mercedes-Benz.
Race of Champions
The Race of Champions planned to feature a female driver for the first time in its history when Wolff signed up for ROC 2013, to be held at Bangkok's Rajamangala Stadium on 14–15 December. The news was warmly welcomed by ROC co-founder Michèle Mouton, the world's most successful female rally driver.[18] However, in early December 2013, the event was cancelled due to the political situation in Bangkok.[19]
In the 2014 event in Barbados, the Wolff–Coulthard pair was able to compete as Team United Kingdom. The pair reached the finals of the Nations' Cup but lost to Team Nordic. Wolff lost to Tom Kristensen in the Audi R8 LMS Ultra while Coulthard won against Petter Solberg in the VW Polo RX, but lost the tie-breaker to Kristensen in the Ariel Atom Cup. In the Drivers' Cup, Wolff was eliminated in the group stage.
The 2015 Race of Champions was held at the Olympic Stadium in London and Wolff again partnered David Coulthard to represent Team Scotland. In the Nation’s Cup, the pair failed to progress to the semi-finals, eliminated by Team England 2. Driving the Mercedes-AMG GT S, Wolff lost to Alex Buncombe while Coulthard was defeated by Jenson Button in the KTM X-Bow. Racing against team-mate Coulthard, Wolff was eliminated in Round 1 of the Drivers’ Cup to conclude her professional career in motorsport, retiring at the end of the 2015 season.
Dare To Be Different
Following her retirement from motorsport, Wolff co-founded Dare to be Different alongside Motor Sports Association CEO Rob Jones. Officially launched at the Autosport International show held at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham on 14 January 2016, the nonprofit organisation aims to increase the participation of women in motorsport.
Holding events across the United Kingdom, the initiative invites school girls between the ages of eight and 14 to participate in motor racing-related activities. Dare to be Different has a range of ambassadors including former Williams Formula One Deputy Team Principal Claire Williams, Sky Sports News and Sky Sports F1 presenter Rachel Brookes, and racing driver Tatiana Calderón.
In February 2019, Dare to be Different united with the FIA Girls on Track initiative to reach a wider audience, raising awareness to the opportunities for girls in motorsport. The first joint FIA Girls on Track - Dare to be Different event was held at the 2019 Mexico City ePrix at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
Awards
On 8 October 2013, Wolff was awarded an Honorary Fellowship at the University of Edinburgh "in recognition of her role as an ambassador for women in sport".[20] She had interrupted her studies at Edinburgh's Business School in 2001 in order to turn professional.[21] Wolff was honoured as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) on the 2017 New Year Honours list for services to Women in Sport.[1]
Racing record
Career summary
Complete Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Mücke Motorsport | AMG-Mercedes C-Klasse 2004 | HOC 10 |
LAU 15 |
OSC 15 |
BRH 16 |
NOR 14† |
NÜR Ret |
ZAN 12 |
CAT 15 |
BUG 13 |
HOC 9 |
17th | 0 | |
| 2007 | Mücke Motorsport | AMG-Mercedes C-Klasse 2006 | HOC Ret |
OSC 16 |
LAU 12 |
BRH 16 |
NOR 16 |
MUG 10 |
ZAN 17 |
NÜR 18 |
CAT Ret |
HOC 14 |
20th | 0 | |
| 2008 | Persson Motorsport | AMG-Mercedes C-Klasse 2007 | HOC 16 |
OSC 14 |
MUG 15 |
LAU 17† |
NOR 10 |
ZAN 15 |
NÜR 12 |
BRH 19 |
CAT Ret |
BUG 12 |
HOC Ret |
18th | 0 |
| 2009 | Persson Motorsport | AMG-Mercedes C-Klasse 2008 | HOC Ret |
LAU 11 |
NOR 10 |
ZAN 11 |
OSC 10 |
NÜR 11 |
BRH 13 |
CAT 15 |
DIJ 14 |
HOC 16† |
16th | 0 | |
| 2010 | Persson Motorsport | AMG-Mercedes C-Klasse 2008 | HOC 11 |
VAL 10 |
LAU 7 |
NOR 15 |
NÜR Ret |
ZAN 15 |
BRH Ret |
OSC 10 |
HOC 7 |
ADR 14 |
SHA 11 |
13th | 4 |
| 2011 | Persson Motorsport | AMG-Mercedes C-Klasse 2008 | HOC 12 |
ZAN 12 |
SPL 13 |
LAU DNS |
NOR 13 |
NÜR 14 |
BRH 14 |
OSC Ret |
VAL 11 |
HOC 15 |
NC | 0 | |
| 2012 | Persson Motorsport | AMG Mercedes C-Coupé | HOC 12 |
LAU 21 |
BRH 20† |
SPL 14 |
NOR Ret |
NÜR 17 |
ZAN 12 |
OSC Ret |
VAL 13 |
HOC 13 |
22nd | 0 |
- † — Retired, but was classified as she completed 90 per cent of the winner's race distance.
Complete Formula One participations
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicates fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Williams Martini Racing | Williams FW36 | Mercedes PU106A Hybrid 1.6 V6 t | AUS | MAL | BHR | CHN | ESP | MON | CAN | AUT | GBR TD |
GER TD |
HUN | BEL | ITA | SIN | JPN | RUS | USA | BRA | ABU | – | – |
| 2015 | Williams Martini Racing | Williams FW37 | Mercedes PU106B Hybrid 1.6 V6 t | AUS | MAL | CHN | BHR | ESP TD |
MON | CAN | AUT | GBR TD |
HUN | BEL | ITA | SIN | JPN | RUS | USA | MEX | BRA | ABU | – | – |
References
- "New Year's Honours list 2017" (PDF). Gov.uk. Government Digital Service. 30 December 2016. p. 92. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
- "Oban woman Susie Wolff joins Williams F1 team". BBC News.
- Elizalde, Pablo (11 April 2012). "Susie Wolff joins Williams as development driver". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 11 April 2012.
- "British Grand Prix 2014: Susie Wolff the first woman to take part in a Formula One race weekend in 22 years". Independent. 4 July 2014.
- "Susie Wolff Appointed Team Principal of Venturi Formula E Team". venturi.com. 26 June 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
- "Wolff joins Mercedes and invests in F1 team". ESPNF1. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
- "Susie Stoddart and Toto Wolff married". Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters. ITR e.V. 17 October 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
- service, Grandprix.com – First & fastest: The original online F1 news. "Grandprix.com".
- "Mercedes-Boss Wolff – PS-Baby mit seiner Rennfahrer-Frau".
- "Susie Wolff: Profile". espn.co.uk. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
- "About Susie". Susie Stoddart. 22 May 2009. Archived from the original on 26 September 2008. Retrieved 22 May 2009.
- "About Susie". Susie Stoddart. 22 May 2009. Archived from the original on 28 January 2008. Retrieved 22 May 2009.
- "Susie Wolff joins Williams as development driver". Formula1.com. Formula One Administration. 11 April 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
- "Susie Wolff hits trouble on British GP F1 debut for Williams". BBC Sport. 4 July 2014. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
- "Susie Wolff to stay at Williams next season as test driver". BBC Sport.
- "WILLIAMS CONFIRMS SUSIE WOLFF TO RETIRE FROM MOTORSPORT". Williams Grand Prix Engineering. 4 November 2015. Archived from the original on 6 November 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
- McKenzie, Lee (4 November 2015). "A return to Mexico, a farewell to Wolff". Motor Sport magazine. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
- "Susie Wolff to team up with David Coulthard at ROC 2013". Race of Champions. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
- "Race Of Champions 2013 Update".
- Programme notes at the Celebration of Achievement ceremony at McEwan Hall, Edinburgh on 8 October 2013
- "A celebration of achievement".
