Susie dreams of imitating Danica

This is the first time a woman has won a pole position in NASCAR, and to top it off, she finished the race in 8th place, the highest position ever achieved by a woman in the great American race. Despite this fine success, the driver stated that she does not intend to enter F1. Sebastian Vettel, who wanted to congratulate the young woman, added that F1 was a completely different world: « First of all, hats off to Danica for her achievements (…) but motorsport in the United States comes from a completely different culture ». And indeed, it seems that in Patrick’s case, her accession to F1 appears to be more a matter of nationality than gender. « The last American to have success in Europe was Mario Andretti », noted Niki Lauda. « And that was in my time! »

Helmut Marko, advisor at Red Bull Racing, however, suggested that he would be happy to give the young woman a chance to test an F1 car, but that she would need to prove herself. The American politely declined Marko’s offer, calling it “nice” but insisting that she had never been truly interested in that path. « There is media speculation, but this possibility has never been seriously considered. I don’t need to be in F1 to have a fulfilling life » insisted Patrick.

If the American is not tempted by a future in F1, Susie Wolff is ready for it! Currently a development driver for the British team Williams, she hopes to obtain her Super License in order to become a reserve driver for the Grove team. She is optimistic about her chances of securing a spot on the starting grid in the future.

« Bernie Ecclestone is pushing hard for this to happen at some point, I think that in the future we will definitely see this happen, » Wolff said.

There have been five female drivers in F1 in the past, starting with Maria Teresa de Filippis who drove for Maserati in 1958, but the most recent was in 1992, when Giovanna Amati drove for Brabham. However, the five drivers combined only participated in 29 Grand Prix and accumulated a total of half a point.

« I think that because no woman has had success in F1, people are wary and wonder if it’s possible or not », agreed the 30-year-old driver. « I firmly believe it’s possible, but it will just take time for it to happen. There aren’t many of us trying to get into F1 because there are more male drivers, which makes it even more difficult for a woman ».

The Scottish woman’s husband is none other than Toto Wolff, a shareholder in the Williams and Mercedes teams. Susie Wolff had already taken the wheel of the Williams FW33 last October at Silverstone and was the first to drive the new FW35 during a shakedown that took place on the sidelines of the first tests in Barcelona.

The test last October went very well, especially physically. I had no problem driving the car. This is partly why I was fortunate to be the first to get behind the wheel of the FW35, because they saw that I was capable.

« Becoming the reserve driver for the team is therefore not unrealistic, but I think we all know how fierce the competition is in the world of Formula 1, how many drivers fight for the chance to be on the grid. I’m heading in the right direction, I’m taking it step by step and showing the team what I can do. Obtaining my Super License is the next thing on my list and we’ll see how it goes after that », she added.