F1: Susie Wolff pushing for more female drivers at grassroots level

According to Susie Wolff, Formula 1 “needs more young women entering the sport” at a grassroots level in order for a female driver to reach the top single-seater category.

Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff’s wife, was a Williams development driver but was never fast enough to earn a race seat.

“We just need more young women entering the sport, there are just not enough women competing to rise to the top,” Wolff told the Irish Times.

“Naturally it would help to have one young woman racing, I believe when you can see it you can believe it, open up the sport, make it more accessible and you will inspire the next generation.”

Reflecting on her efforts to be an F1 driver:

“There were some very tough moments along the way, walking into a garage and people having a lot of skepticism when they see you in the car, so you felt you had to prove yourself more than your male counterparts. That was part and parcel of what I was used to.

“I realized performance is power, if I perform then my gender is irrelevant going into the best teams, I have more of a chance to be successful. Motorsport is one of the few sports where you don’t get to see the athlete, when I had my helmet on I wasn’t even visible. So I would just get my helmet on and not get distracted.”

Last year, her husband Toto Wolff told the Financial Times that Susie was “within a few tenths” of Massa, but added that “the final chance was denied,” because fractions of a second matter in motorsports.

Regarding the chances of another woman making it to F1 within the next decade, the Mercedes chief suggested such a timeframe is “not realistic”.