Susie Wolff
Suzanne Wolff | |
|---|---|
| Born | Suzanne Stoddart December 6, 1982 Scotland |
| Occupation(s) | Racing driver, motorsport executive |
| Years active | 1990s–2015 (racing), 2016–present (executive) |
| Known for | First woman to participate in a Formula One race weekend since 1992; managing director of F1 Academy; former Team Principal and CEO of Venturi Racing in Formula E |
Suzanne Wolff (née Stoddart; born 6 December 1982) is a retired Scottish professional racing driver and currently serves as the managing director of F1 Academy.
Her motorsport journey began in karting, advancing through the ranks of Formula Renault and Formula Three. Wolff later competed in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) representing Mercedes-Benz. In 2012, she joined Williams as a development driver in Formula One. During the 2014 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, she made history by becoming the first woman in over two decades to participate in a Formula One race weekend, taking part in practice sessions. On 4 November 2015, Wolff declared her retirement from competitive racing, finishing her career with an appearance at the Race of Champions that same month. The following year, she transitioned into broadcasting, working as an analyst for UK’s Channel 4 Formula One coverage.
In 2018, Wolff was named Team Principal of Venturi Racing in the Formula E championship. She was elevated to CEO in 2021. After the conclusion of Season 8 in South Korea, she announced her exit from both Venturi and Formula E in August 2022.
Personal life
Her parents, John and Sally Stoddart, operate a motorcycle dealership located in Oban. John Stoddart was also an active motorcycle racer. The couple met when Sally purchased her first motorbike from John’s shop. Suzanne has an elder brother, David, who is eighteen months older.
From early childhood, Susie and her brother were introduced to skiing and motorbiking. The expansive terrain surrounding Oban provided an ideal environment for biking and go-karting activities. She realized her aptitude for racing after attending her first Formula 3 event at age 13.
Wolff briefly pursued international business studies at Edinburgh University but left after one year to compete in Formula Renault at Silverstone.
In 2005, a fractured ankle combined with financial difficulties interrupted her progression in Formula Three.
She met her husband, Toto Wolff—then involved as co-owner of HWA AG and a Mercedes-Benz DTM driver—and they married in Capri in 2011 following an eight-month relationship. The couple has one son, Jack, born in 2017, and they reside in Monaco.
Early years
Beginning karting at age eight, Wolff earned the title British Woman Kart Racing Driver of the Year in 1996. The following year she secured victories in the 24hr Middle East Kart Championship and Scottish Junior Intercontinental "A" titles, repeating as British Woman Kart Racing Driver of the Year.
In 1998, she moved up to compete in the British Junior Intercontinental "A" Championship, finishing tenth overall. Additionally, she placed eleventh at the Federation Cup European Intercontinental "A" Championship and claimed the British Woman Kart Racing Driver of the Year award for a third straight year.
During 1999, Wolff participated in the British Formula "A" Championship where she finished thirteenth and ranked thirty-fourth at the Formula "A" World Championships. This earned her a fourth British Woman Kart Racing Driver of the Year accolade.
By 2000, she had improved her standings to tenth place in British Formula “A” and fifteenth at the Formula “A” World Championships, receiving recognition as the world’s top female kart driver.
Formula Renault (2001–04)
In 2001, Wolff made the leap from karting to single-seater racing by entering the Formula Renault Winter Series with Motaworld Racing. The following year, she participated in the complete Formula Renault UK Championship season for DFR Racing, while also continuing in the Winter Series.
By 2003, Wolff had climbed to ninth place overall in the Formula Renault UK Championship, achieving her inaugural podium finish. That year, she was honored as a finalist for the BRDC McLaren Autosport Young Driver of the Year Award and earned the title of BRDC Rising Star of the Year.
In 2004, driving for Comtec Racing, she further advanced to fifth in the championship standings, securing three podiums and scoring points in 19 out of 20 races.
Formula Three (2005)
Wolff progressed to the British Formula 3 Championship in 2005 with Alan Docking Racing. However, her season was hampered by an ankle injury. Additionally, she made a single appearance in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB event at Brands Hatch.
DTM (2006–12)
Wolff entered the DTM series in 2006 with Mücke Motorsport, piloting a 2004 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe and achieving her best result of ninth place at the Hockenheimring.
Continuing with Mücke Motorsport in 2007, her highest finish was tenth at Mugello Circuit. She then switched to Persson Motorsport in 2008, upgrading to a 2007-spec vehicle and matching a tenth-place finish at the Norisring, a result she repeated twice more in 2009 at Norisring and Oschersleben.
Her most successful DTM campaign occurred in 2010 with Persson Motorsport, where she twice finished seventh and concluded the season 13th in the Drivers’ Championship with four points.
Wolff remained with Persson Motorsport through 2011 but departed from DTM prior to the 2012 finale at Hockenheimring to concentrate on her Formula One testing duties with Williams, ending a seven-year tenure in DTM.
Williams (2012–15)
On 11 April 2012, Wolff was appointed as a development driver for the Williams Formula One team. In 2014, Williams announced that she would participate in two free practice sessions during the British and German Grands Prix. At Silverstone, Wolff became the first woman to compete during an F1 race weekend since 1992.
Her running at Silverstone was limited due to an engine failure after completing just one timed lap. On 18 July 2014, Wolff took part in free practice at the German Grand Prix; once initial mechanical issues were resolved, she recorded a time placing her 15th out of 22 drivers, just two-tenths of a second slower than teammate Felipe Massa.
Williams confirmed on 28 November 2014 that Wolff would continue as test driver for the 2015 season with an expanded role that included two Friday practice sessions and two test outings. She logged a lap time of 1:29.708 during the opening practice of the 2015 Spanish Grand Prix and ranked 13th out of 20 drivers during practice at the British Grand Prix.
On 4 November 2015, Wolff declared her retirement from Formula One competition, explaining that she had reached her personal peak but aimed to promote women's involvement in motorsport. Her final competitive outing was at the 2015 Race of Champions representing Scotland alongside former F1 driver David Coulthard before stepping away from all racing activities.
Mercedes (2016–present)
Wolff joined Mercedes in 2016 as an ambassador and was among the initial drivers to test the Mercedes-AMG One, underscoring her sustained engagement with cutting-edge automotive performance technology.
Formula E (2018–2022)
In 2018, Wolff assumed the role of Team Principal and became a shareholder of Venturi Racing within Formula E. For the 2019–20 campaign, Venturi collaborated with Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team to supply powertrains. Under her guidance, Venturi reached its highest achievements during the 2020–21 season, accumulating 146 points and securing second place in the Drivers' Championship with driver Edoardo Mortara.
Wolff was elevated to CEO in November 2021, with Jérôme d'Ambrosio stepping in as Team Principal for the 2021–22 season. She announced her exit in August 2022 prior to Venturi's transition to Maserati MSG Racing for the 2022–23 season.
F1 Academy (2023–present)
On 1 March 2023, Wolff was named managing director of the newly established all-female racing series, F1 Academy, reinforcing her dedication to promoting diversity within motorsport leadership roles.
Race of Champions
Wolff was poised to become the first female competitor at the Race of Champions in 2013; however, the event was canceled due to political instability. She participated in 2014 alongside David Coulthard representing Team United Kingdom, advancing to the Nations' Cup final. During the 2015 competition held at London's Olympic Stadium, Wolff again teamed with Coulthard for Team Scotland but did not progress beyond the initial rounds. She retired from professional racing at the end of 2015.
Dare To Be Different
Following her retirement from racing, Wolff co-founded Dare to be Different with Motor Sports Association CEO Rob Jones. Announced at the 2016 Autosport International event in Birmingham, this nonprofit organization aims to increase female involvement in motorsport.
The initiative organizes activities throughout the UK targeting girls aged eight to fourteen, providing motorsport-related experiences. Its ambassadors include former Williams F1 Deputy Team Principal Claire Williams, Sky Sports presenter Rachel Brookes, and driver Tatiana Calderón.
In February 2019, Dare to be Different partnered with the FIA Girls on Track program to expand its outreach, hosting their inaugural joint event at the 2019 Mexico City ePrix.
Awards
On 8 October 2013, Wolff was honored with an Honorary Fellowship from the University of Edinburgh in recognition of her efforts to promote women’s participation in sport. She had previously paused her studies at Edinburgh Business School in 2001 to pursue a professional racing career. Wolff was appointed MBE in the 2017 New Year Honours for her contributions to Women in Sport.
Career summary
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Formula Renault UK | Team DFR | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 18th |
| 2003 | Formula Renault UK | Motaworld Racing | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 215 | 9th |
| 2004 | Formula Renault UK | Comtec Racing with Duckhams | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 284 | 5th |
| 2005 | British Formula 3 | Alan Docking Racing | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 18th |
| 2006–07 | Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters | Mücke Motorsport | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | (17th/20th) |
| 2008–11 | Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters | Persson Motorsport | 42 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | (13th–18th) |
| 2012 | Formula One (Development driver) / Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters | Williams F1 Team / Persson Motorsport | 10 (DTM) | ||||||
| 2013–15 | Formula One (Development/Test driver) | Williams Martini Racing | |||||||
Complete Formula Renault 2.0 UK Results
(Legend) (Entries in bold denote pole positions) (Entries in italics represent fastest laps)
style="background:#DFFFDF;"| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Final Position | Points Scored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Team DFR | BRH Retired |
OUL 10th |
THR 20th |
SIL 18th |
THR 16th |
BRH 15th |
CRO 21st |
SNE 21st |
SNE 15th |
KNO 14th |
BRH 15th |
DON | DON | 18th | 45 | |||||||
| 2003 | Motaworld Racing | SNE 1 10th |
SNE 2 9th |
BRH 12th |
THR 11th |
SIL Retired |
ROC 7th |
CRO 1 13th |
CRO 2 11th |
DON 1 9th |
DON 2 10th | ||||||||||||
| SNE 3rd |
BRH 1 4th |
BRH 2 7th |
DON 1 Retired |
DON 2 4th |
OUL 1 10th |
OUL 2 5th |
9th | 215 | |||||||||||||||
| 2004 | Comtec Racing with Duckhams | THR 1 8th |
THR 2 12th |
style="background:#DFDFDF;" Brands Hatch BRH 1 Template:Small 2nd
| style="background:#FFDF9F;" |
3rd | style="background:#DFFFDF;" |
11 | style="background:#DFFFDF;" |
10 | | ||||||||||||||||
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4 | 6 | 5 | style="background:#DFDFDF;" |
2 | style="background:#DFFFDF;" |
6 | style="background:#DFFFDF;" |
9 | style="background:#DFFFDF;" |
14 | style="background:#DFFFDF;" |
11 | style="background:#DFFFDF;" |
7 | style="background:#DFFFDF;" |
8 | style="background:#DFFFDF;" |
10 | style="background:#EFCFFF;" |
Retired | |
5th | "284" | ||||||||||||
Full British Formula Three Championship Results
(key) (Events shown in bold denote pole position) (Events in italics signify fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | Final Position | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Alan Docking Racing | DON Race 1 9th |
DON Race 2 11th |
SPA Race 1 |
SPA Race 2 |
CRO Race 1 |
CRO Race 2 |
KNO Race 1 |
KNO Race 2 |
THR Race 1 |
THR Race 2 |
CAS Race 1 |
CAS Race 2 |
MZA Race 1 |
MZA Race 2 |
MZA Race 3 |
SIL Race 1 |
SIL Race 2 |
SIL Race 3 |
NÜR Race 1 |
NÜR Race 2 |
MON Race 1 |
MON Race 2 |
SIL Race 1 |
SIL Race 2 |
18th | 2 |
Complete Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Performance
(key) (Pole positions are marked in bold; fastest laps are in italics)
| Year | Team | Vehicle | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Round 5 | Round 6 | Round 7 | Round 8 | Round 9 | Round10 | Round11 | Final Standing | Points Accumulated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Mücke Motorsport | AMG-Mercedes C-Class (2004) | Hockenheimring 10th |
EuroSpeedway Lausitz 15th |
Motorsport Arena Oschersleben 15th |
Brands Hatch 16th |
Norisring 14th† |
Nürburgring Retired |
Circuit Park Zandvoort 12th |
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya 15th |
|
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Circuit de la Sarthe |
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Hockenheimring |
17th |
0 |
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|
2007 |
nowrap | Mücke Motorsport |
nowrap | AMG-Mercedes C-Class (2006) |
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Hockenheimring |
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EuroSpeedway Lausitz |
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Brands Hatch |
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Norisring |
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Mugello Circuit |
|---|
|
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Nürburgring |
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Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya |
style="background:#CFCFFF;" |
Hockenheimring |
20th |
0 |
|---|
|
2008 |
nowrap | Persson Motorsport |
nowrap | AMG-Mercedes C-Class (2007) |
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Hockenheimring |
style="background:#CFCFFF;" |
style="background:#CFCFFF;" |
Mugello Circuit |
|---|
|
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EuroSpeedway Lausitz |
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Norisring |
style="background:#CFCFFF;" |
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Nürburgring < br > Template:Small 12 |
style = " background : # CFCFFF ; " |
Brands Hatch < br > Template:Small 19 |
style = " background : # EFCFFF ; " |
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya < br > Template:Small Ret |
style = " background : # CFCFFF ; " |
Circuit de la Sarthe < br > Template:Small 12 |
style = " background : # EFCFFF ; " |
Hockenheimring < br > Template:Small Ret |
18th |
0 |
|---|
| Year | Team | Car | Round1 | Round2 | Round3 | Round4 | Round5 | Round6 | Round7 | Round8 | Round9 | Round10 | Round11 | Final Position | Points Total | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2009 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters#2009–2010 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Results |
nowrap |
Persson Motorsport |
nowrap |
Mercedes-AMG#AMG-Mercedes C-Klasse (W204) |
style =" background : # EFCFFF ; " |
Hockenheimring |
style =" background : # CFCFFF ; " |
EuroSpeedway Lausitz |
style =" background : # CFCFFF ; " |
Norisring |
style =" background : # CFCFFF ; " |
Circuit Park Zandvoort |
style =" background : # CFCFFF ; " |
Motorsport Arena Oschersleben |
style =" background : # CFCFFF ; " |
Nürburgring |
style =" background : # CFCFFF ; " |
Brands Hatch |
style =" background : # CFCFFF ; " |
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya |
style =" background : # CFCFFF ; " |
Dijon-Prenois |
style =" background : # CFCFFF ; " |
Hockenheimring |
16th |
0 |
| Year | Team | Car | Round1 | Round2 | Round3 | Round4 | Round5 | Round6 | Round7 | Round8 | Round9 | Round10 | Round11 | Final Position | Points Total | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2010 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters |
nowrap |
Persson Motorsport |
nowrap |
Mercedes-AMG#AMG-Mercedes C-Klasse (W204) |
style =" background : # CFCFFF ; " |
Hockenheimring < br > Template:Small 11 |
style =" background : # CFCFFF ; " |
Circuit Ricardo Tormo < br > Template:Small 10 |
style =" background : # DFFFDF ; " |
EuroSpeedway Lausitz < br > Template:Small 7 |
style =" background : # CFCFFF ; " |
Norisring < br > Template:Small 15 |
style =" background : # EFCFFF ; " |
Nürburgring < br > Template:Small Ret |
style =" background : # CFCFFF ; " |
Circuit Park Zandvoort < br > Template:Small 15 |
style =" background : # EFCFFF ; " |
Brands Hatch < br > Template:Small Ret |
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Motorsport Arena Oschersleben < br > Template:Small 10 |
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Hockenheimring < br > Template:Small 7 |
... |
13th |
4 |
|
18th |
0 |
|---|
|
22nd |
0 |
|---|
- † — Denotes retirement from race but classified for completing over ninety percent of the total distance.
Complete Formula One entries
(legend) (Races shown in bold denote pole positions) (Races in italics represent fastest laps)
| Year | Team | Car | Power Unit | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Drivers' Championship Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:F1 | Williams Martini Racing | Williams FW36 | Mercedes PU106A Hybrid 1.6L V6 Turbocharged | AUS | MAL | BHR | CHN | ESP | MON | CAN | AUT | GBR TD |
GER TD |
HUN | BEL | ITA | SIN | JPN | RUS | USA | BRA | ABU | – | – |
| Template:F1 | Williams Martini Racing | Williams FW37 | Mercedes PU106B Hybrid 1.6L V6 Turbocharged | AUS | MAL | CHN | BHR | ESP TD |
MON | CAN | AUT | GBR TD |
HUN | BEL | ITA | SIN | JPN | RUS | USA | MEX | BRA | ABU | – | – |
| Template:Center{{{1}}}Sources: Motor Sport, StatsF1Template:/smallTemplate:/center | ||||||||||||||||||||||||