SUSIE WOLFF: ‘It’s Inevitable a Woman Will Make It to F1’ Says Academy Chief

January 3, 2026

• SUSIE WOLFF pulls no punches about the talent pipeline problem in motorsport – when female participation never exceeds five percent, we’re fighting math as much as bias. As the woman who broke a 22-year F1 drought and now heads F1 Academy, she’s both lived the struggle and is actively building the solution. Her take on inevitability isn’t wishful thinking; it’s strategy backed by increased opportunities and funding for female drivers moving up the ladder.
• The former Williams test driver gets real about how the sport has evolved since her groundbreaking 2014-2015 F1 stint. She credits broader social movements like #MeToo for creating space where women won’t tolerate situations that were once “commonplace.” Teams are finally casting wider nets for talent, though she’s clear this isn’t about charity – it’s still performance-based, just with smarter recruitment that doesn’t ignore half the population.
• WOLFF’s perspective on breaking down motorsport’s macho image is particularly sharp. She knows we can’t just tick a diversity box and call it done – the work of creating environments that nurture female talent requires constant attention both on and off track. Her point about convincing women that racing isn’t inherently macho hits at the heart of why representation matters: you can’t be what you can’t see.

all-female f1 academy, deb williams, formula 1, single-seater racing