Fabienne Wohlwend is a racing driver from Liechtenstein who made history as the world’s first female Ferrari Challenge World Champion and her country’s fastest motorsports export—all while juggling a day job in banking.

EARLY YEARS

Born November 7, 1997, in Vaduz, Liechtenstein—a tiny principality with a population roughly the size of Cleethorpes—Fabienne Wohlwend’s introduction to motorsport was pure sibling rivalry. After her older brother Raphael received a go-kart for his birthday, young Fabienne tagged along to watch him whizz around a track at an amusement park in Ticino, the Italian part of Switzerland. Watching wasn’t enough. She wanted in.

By the time she was sixteen, her father Edwin, a keen Ferrari fan himself, was regularly accompanying her to weekend race meetings—five-hour drives that became the rhythm of their weekends. What started as a kid sister’s jealousy at a birthday party had evolved into something far more serious.

OTHER INTERESTS

In a twist that makes her sound like a superhero with a secret identity, Wohlwend has balanced her racing career with work in banking. She’s spoken about the challenge of managing both worlds—spreadsheets by day, racetracks by weekend—proving that dedication and hard work really are key to success, even when you’re living two completely different lives.

EARLY SUCCESS

Wohlwend’s karting foundation laid the groundwork for her transition to cars, and she wasted no time making her mark. In 2016, she claimed the Italian F4 Women’s Trophy championship, signaling her arrival as a serious competitor. The following year, she made her Ferrari Challenge debut, and the red cars from Maranello became her signature.

By 2017, she was already turning heads at Imola, where she took pole position and finished second in Race 1—then followed it up by becoming the first woman to win a race outright for Ferrari. It was a statement victory that put the motorsport world on notice.

She twinned her application to the Audi Sport TT Cup with a partial campaign in the Ferrari Challenge European Championship, showing her versatility across different machinery. In 2018, she made the step up to the Trofeo Pirelli category and dominated, clinching the Ferrari Challenge World Championship title at Monza’s Finali Mondiali after a controversial but ultimately successful pass on Manuela Gostner. Liechtenstein had its first-ever female world champion racing driver.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

• 2016: Italian F4 Women’s Trophy Champion
• 2017: First woman to win a Ferrari Challenge race outright at Imola
• 2018: Ferrari Challenge World Champion
• 2019: Pole position at W Series Round 3 in Misano (though a slow start led to a first-corner collision with Alice Powell)
• 2020: Second place, Ferrari Challenge Europe – Trofeo Pirelli
• 2023: Second place, ADAC Nürburgring 24 Hours – SP8T class
• 2024: Third place, ADAC Nürburgring 24 Hours – SP8T class
• 2025: GT3 debut in GT Winter Series, driving an Aston Martin Vantage with PROsport Racing
• Career stats: 7 wins, 43 podiums, 11 pole positions, 4 fastest laps across multiple series

INSPIRATIONS

Wohlwend has spoken openly about her desire to inspire more women in motorsports and create a platform for them. She’s become a role model for aspiring female racers, particularly those from smaller nations who might think the odds are stacked against them. Her journey from a tiny Alpine principality to competing on Europe’s most prestigious race tracks proves that geography and gender don’t have to be barriers—just hurdles to clear at speed.

REPUTATION

As Liechtenstein’s fastest export and most successful racer, Wohlwend proudly flies the flag for her country—literally one of the smallest nations on Earth. She’s been nominated for Liechtenstein Sportswoman of the Year six times between 2018 and 2025, and since July 2023, she’s been one of six competitive athletes employed at 50% by the Liechtenstein Olympic Committee.

Beyond her own racing, she serves as a brand ambassador for ROWE Racing in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup, attending races and handling media duties. She’s also competed in the NLS (formerly VLN) series at the Nürburgring, where she’s chased class wins in the grueling 24-hour race and showed highly competitive pace—including an 8:44.036 lap time in 2025, the second-fastest in class during that race.

Her participation in the W Series brought her international recognition, finishing sixth in 2021 with Scuderia W and competing with Bunker Racing. She’s also raced in the Indian Racing League with the Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers, expanding her global footprint and continuing her mission to reach more women in motorsports.

FUTURE GOALS/PLANS

Wohlwend continues to push forward in endurance racing, having made her GT3 debut in the 2025 GT Winter Series at Circuit de Catalunya alongside Adrian Rziczny. Despite a challenging weekend plagued by mixed weather and technical issues that ended her debut in frustration, she’s proven she’s ready to take on the next level of competition in GT3 machinery. Her work with the all-female “Girls Only Team” in the NLS shows her commitment to both competitive racing and championing opportunities for women in motorsport.

REFERENCES

[1] Fabienne Wohlwend – Wikipedia
[2] Fabienne’s Road – Ferrari
[3] Fabienne Wohlwend, Liechtenstein’s first female driver, gears up for the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring – Racers Behind the Helmet
[4] Fabienne Wohlwend: Life in the fast lane – thyssenkrupp
[5] Fabienne Wohlwend – Driver Database
[6] Fabienne Wohlwend: “dedication and hard work is key to success” – Fast and Fearless
[7] Fabienne Wohlwend to make GT3 debut in GT Winter Series – Racers Behind the Helmet
[8] Fabienne Wohlwend’s GT3 debut ends in frustration – Racers Behind the Helmet
[9] Ferrari Challenge Europe: Women power conquered Imola – SnapLap
[10] Liechtenstein Fun Facts with Fabienne Wohlwend – W Series YouTube