Susie Wolff is speaking out about the newly released Netflix series F1: The Academy and bringing more women into the world of F1!
The 42-year-old former racing driver was the first woman to drive a Formula 1 car during a grand prix race weekend, but now, she’s the managing director of F1 Academy, a female-only racing league, and executive producer of the new docu-series for Netflix.
In a new interview, Susie dished on the growing female fanbase in Formula 1,d spotlighting female talent in F1: The Academy, and how she hopes the new docu-series helps continue changing the stigma of women drivers.
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“I think first and foremost it’s important that they see the sport they love is creating opportunity for female talent. It’s showing that the sport they love is no longer just a man’s world because without Formula One, Formula One: Academy wouldn’t exist, and the stakeholders of the sport, Formula One, the 10 Formula One teams, have really got behind it,” she told THR. “Also, we want to attract a new audience. We want to attract that next generation, the parents of the next generation, to challenge the idea that women can’t be racing drivers, that it’s an industry that’s not really built for women. And I think by sharing these incredible human stories of these young drivers and their journeys, the challenges they faced, it really brings to life the fact that regardless of gender, there’s an opportunity in the sport.”
“We hope that this series is going to challenge that stigma, because I think you’re absolutely right, there is still a bit of a stigma, but I do see it changing,” Susie continued. “The fact that this young fan base exists, I think there’s more expectations from the next generation of women, and I think it’s important that they see this sport they love is doing something to challenge this misconception and this stigma that racing isn’t for girls, because the sport recognized, well, we have a huge female following, and it recognized that it had to do something to create more opportunities for young women. So I hope by both those things, we are creating an even larger female fan base that can feel represented more.”
F1: The Academy is now streaming on Netflix. Watch the trailer here!
Here’s a synopsis: follows female drivers as they battle it out in the 2024 F1 Academy racing series. Through exclusive, behind-the-scenes access, F1: The Academy highlights the drama of the races, as well as the personal stories and high stakes for these incredible drivers and the teams around them, as they break barriers in one of the most demanding sports in the world. For F1 Academy’s leader and managing director, Susie Wolff, the pressure has never felt more real. The future of women in motorsport is at stake. As Susie spearheads this new operation, her extensive experience behind the wheel of F1 cars allows her to connect with the drivers on a deep and personal level, whilst understanding the pressure that each one of the drivers face to succeed.
Pictured here: Susie attending the F1: The Academy UK premiere at Cineworld Leicester Square on Tuesday (May 27) alongside husband Toto Wolff, son Jack Wolff, and F1 Academy drivers featured in the series – Bianca Bustamante, 2024 champion Abbi Pulling, Chloe Chambers, Doriane Pin, Maya Weug, Hamda Al Qubaisi, Tina Hausmann, Amna Al Qubaisi and Lola Lovinfosse.
Source: justjared.com