Williams test driver Susie Wolff hopeful for female drivers – Formula 1 news
Susie Wolff, who has been racing in DTM car series and also happens to be the wife of Williams’ executive director Toto Wolff, ran a test drive for the team and hopes the test will inspire other female drivers.
The woman started her career at an early age in 1996 with kart racing. She started racing in DTM in 2006 and just earlier this year, was announced as the development driver for the Williams F1 team. Wolff did the test for the team this Wednesday.
“You can't underestimate what a big statement that was today for Williams to put me in the car today. For a team like Williams to take notice of a fast female driver and give her a chance in the car is something quite special. They were the first team to
really do it properly and I hope it will open a path for more teams doing it in the future and realising that women should be taken seriously and possibly more there will be more females coming in later years and given the chance to drive in Formula One,”
she said.
Wolff also stated that she went in to do the test in honour of Maria di Villota. Villota is another female driver who was appointed as the test driver for the Marussia F1 team. This year earlier in July, Villota was involved in a serious crash due to which
she lost her right eye and barely made it out alive.
Wolff seems to be really inspired by Villota. She thinks that apart from being an amazing driver, Villota is also a very strong woman. She said she went in to the test session wearing Villota’s star on her helmet. She also added that if it had been Villota
in her place, she would also have given a good performance.
She admitted to have talked to Villota ahead of the test and that it had been really important for her to do this as she wanted to prove that women can after all drive Formula 1 cars with efficiency. She wanted to clear the criticism caused by all the publicity
surrounding Villota’s accident and show everyone that it was just an accident.
She herself had been surrounded by press during the test but she said she had been focused on herself.
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