Ex-Williams driver Susie Wolff has urged Formula One team principals to back new initiatives designed to accelerate the debut of the championship’s next female driver – someone she predicts is a 12 to 14-year-old girl today.
Wolff is now the managing director of the F1 Academy, the all-female single-seater series which debuted in April and next season will join F1 race weekends, ultimately aiming to launch drivers into higher levels of competition.
It has been almost 50 years since a woman – Lella Lombardi – started an F1 Grand Prix. Wolff is adamant one will do so again, but believes the success of corresponding efforts rests in ensuring they are not seen as segregated from the sport as a whole.
“That day will come. Of that I have no doubt because we’re doing too much and we’re putting (up) too many strong foundations for it not to happen,” the former Formula E Venturi Racing team principal and CEO told the PA news agency.
“When I was announced in my new role in Bahrain I met all the team principals and I said ‘please don’t look at this as a woman’s initiative run by a woman. This is for the greater good of this sport. It’s for the greater good of your platform, for the business, but we have the chance to also inspire other industries by getting this right.’
“The success of F1 Academy and Discover Your Drive will come down to the collective, it will come down to the whole community of the sport getting on board and really understanding that this will be for the greater good of all of us.
“But I will be hugely, hugely proud when I see a woman either on track or off track and they are in a top position because of F1 Academy. That will definitely be a moment where we can take a moment of real pride.”
F1 Academy Discover Your Drive, launched this week, is a global initiative targeted at girls.
Central among the programme’s ambitions is talent identification. In the UK, that means closing a considerable gap, with females accounting for just five per cent of all senior Motorsport UK race-license holders.
The first phase will begin with six Motorsport UK venues, with plans to expand to 35 next year.
Instructors have been trained to identify promising girls aged 8-12, who will be offered development sessions designed to facilitate a move into junior karting – potentially the first step on a road to F1 like it was for Brits Lando Norris and George Russell.
Spotting talent at an early age is a critical component for Wolff, who was 12 when she started believing motorsport could be her career, and in 2014 became the first woman in 22 years to take part in an F1 race weekend when she took the wheel for a practice session at Silverstone.
She said: “That’s the age that if you want to get to the pinnacle of the sport, you need to start having an idea of, ok, I need to do this more often.”
Wolff eventually hopes to see some of those girls in F1 Academy, which consists of seven three-race rounds. Five are on current F1 circuits, including the season finale alongside the United States Grand Prix in Austin.
The incentive for the eventual champion is tantalising, while the prospect of joining the F1 calendar in 2024 looks to benefit the entire grid.
“Our winner is guaranteed to move on,” Wolff vowed. “We will put the budget together for her to progress. I’m not committed to which series because I want it to be the best progression for the driver.
“But I think moving onto the global stage brings much more possibilities for the drivers to get backing and make sure they’re finding people that will help them further in their career.
“Because in the end not everyone is going to make it to Formula 1, but if they can go on to be successful in a different category or area, then I think that is still something that can still be seen as a success for the Academy.”
Bottas says he "could see" himself linking up with Verstappen at Red Bull
Valtteri Bottas has said that he "could see" himself driving alongside Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen at Red Bull.
The Kick Sauber driver will leave his current team at the end of the season, with Nico Hulkenberg and F2 leader Gabriel Bortoleto replacing their current line-up of Bottas and Zhou Guanyu for 2025.
Meanwhile, Red Bull has struggled to find a consistent second driver for Verstappen with Sergio Perez enduring another difficult season as he sits eighth in the championship with 152 points - compared to his team-mate's haul of 403 on the way to a fourth consecutive title.
It has left Red Bull third in the Constructors' Championship with 555 points, trailing both McLaren (608 points) and Ferrari (584) with races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi left.
Quizzed whether he would consider a move to Red Bull, Bottas said: “You know, I could see myself filling that role. I’m really confident I would do a good job, but for now the answer has been no.
“I think there’s certain people or a certain person within the organisation that is against me for some reason, but that’s their loss.”
Red Bull had also announced earlier this year that Mexican driver Perez will stay at the team till the end of the next season.
It leaves an unfilled seat at RB as Bottas' only realistic option for next season, while a reserve driver role at his former team Mercedes might also be up for grabs after the recent departure of Mick Schumacher.
Bottas was part of the Mercedes set-up between 2017 and 2021 as they won five consecutive Constructors' Championships, with the Finn winning 10 races and playing a key role in Lewis Hamilton's four title wins during the period.
“Obviously really honoured that [Toto Wolff] would be willing to take me back to the Mercedes family, which is great. It’s a really solid option for me for the future," said Bottas, ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix.
“Of course, there’s still many details we’ve got to discuss, like how much I would actually get to drive because I want to drive, whether it’s about testing and stuff like that. We’re discussing but there’s no need to rush.”
Bottas has 67 podiums from 244 races since beginning his F1 career with Williams in 2013.
Qatar Grand Prix: 'He should start in comedy' – Norris shuts down Verstappen claim
Lando Norris dismissed Max Verstappen's claim that he would have won this year's Formula One title much earlier in the McLaren.
Verstappen claimed his fourth consecutive crown at the Las Vegas Grand Prix last weekend, finishing one place ahead of Norris in fifth, which was all he needed to do.
The Dutchman became just the fifth driver to achieve a four-peat and the fourth to do so since the turn of the century after Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton.
Verstappen has eight victories to his name this season, five more than Norris, though should he fail to win another race, he will be the champion with the fewest victories in a season since 2012, when Vettel only needed five victories to triumph.
However, the Dutchman believed that he would have won the title sooner had he been in Norris' car, with his comments coming after McLaren chief, Zak Brown, claimed Verstappen could only win the world championship in the "fastest car."
"He should start in comedy or something! He can say whatever he wants," said Norris ahead of this weekend's Qatar Grand Prix.
"Of course, I completely disagree, as I would. He's good. But it's not true.
"I know what Max is capable of doing. It depends. If there was no Red Bull, yeah, even I could have won if there was no Red Bull and Max was not in a Red Bull, I would have won the championship.
"I don't believe it [his comments]. I like his confidence. I can say whatever. I can say 'I was world champion, I can do this or that'. But, not possible."
Norris and Verstappen have been embroiled in a fierce battle on the track this season, with incidents occurring in Austria, Austin and Mexico City.
Though Norris has fallen short of a maiden world title with two races and a sprint remaining, he has shown his credentials for future glory, with 12 podium finishes in 2024.
Norris is the eighth driver with the most podiums for McLaren (25), and can equal Jenson Button in seventh position (26) with another place in the top three in Qatar.
Having been in contest with Verstappen for much of the campaign, Norris insisted that his friendship with the Red Bull star had not been affected by their clashes this season.
"There were some tough moments, but we are still good friends. We had a nice word with each other after the race in Vegas," he said.
"I still have a lot of respect for him and all he's done, so from my side, all good."
This weekend's penultimate round at the Lusail International Circuit marks a huge one for McLaren, who are searching for their first constructors' title since 1998.
The British-based team know that if they leave the weekend with a lead of 45 points, they will emerge victorious over Red Bull and Ferrari.
However, Norris thinks Mercedes will be the team to beat following their first one-two since the Sao Paulo Grand Prix in 2022 at the Las Vegas circuit last time out.
"Mercedes were very quick here last year, so they are definitely favourites this weekend," said Norris.
"Red Bull were good last year as well, Max. We were good, so I'm expecting a good battle.
"I'm hoping that favours us a little bit more compared to Ferrari, but Ferrari fixed a lot of their woes that they were struggling with last year, so honestly, no idea.
"But when you look at things, Ferrari and Mercedes are the guys in a better flow at the moment."
DRIVERS TO WATCH
George Russell – Mercedes
Fresh from his victory in Sin City, Russell will be keen to add to his three career race wins, with Mercedes set to be strong contenders once again in Qatar.
The Briton finished fourth in both the sprint and race last year, but after his performance in Las Vegas alongside team-mate Hamilton, he will be confident of standing on the podium this time around.
Russell and Hamilton have taken part in 66 races as Mercedes team-mates. Russell has beaten Hamilton in 37 qualifying sessions and finished ahead in half of the races (33).
Of Hamilton's six team-mates, only Fernando Alonso has beaten him more times in races.
Mercedes also arrive in Qatar after a one-two finish in Las Vegas. They have not scored two F1 doubles in one year since 2020 (five), and have the opportunity to reach 300 podiums in their racing history, becoming only the fourth team to do so.
Max Verstappen - Red Bull
No driver has won more races (11), more pole positions (nine), more podiums (15) and more points (110) than Verstappen.
The world champion also has the chance to become only the third driver in F1 history to break the 3,000 points barrier (2,989.50 currently), something only Hamilton (4,847.50) and Vettel (3,098) have previously achieved.
If either Verstappen or Sergio Perez achieves the fastest lap, Red Bull (99) will become the fifth team in F1 history to hit 100 fastest laps after Ferrari (263), McLaren (171), Williams (133) and Mercedes (109).
The pair will contest their 90th race as Red Bull team-mates. They are the fifth pair to reach this milestone in F1 after Vettel and Mark Webber (94), David Coulthard and Mika Hakkinen (99), Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas (100) and Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello (104).
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Drivers
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 403 (C)
2. Lando Norris (McLaren) – 340
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 319
4. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 268
5. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) – 259
Constructors
1. McLaren – 608
2. Ferrari – 584
3. Red Bull – 555
4. Mercedes – 425
5. Aston Martin – 86
Perez confident he can 'turn things around' amid debate over Red Bull future
Sergio Perez remains “optimistic” over his future at Red Bull despite speculation amid concerns about his performance.
Perez fell to a sixth Q1 exit of the season in Las Vegas, which saw him only make the points when he finished in 10th place.
He has had just four podium finishes this season, each of them coming in the first five races, and currently sits eighth in the drivers’ championship standings.
But Perez, who signed a two-year contract extension with Red Bull in June, is confident that form can change.
“I think with the set-up we are coming closer. In Vegas, we didn’t have the pace that we had in Sao Paulo, but I think there are some promising signs that things are coming,” Perez said.
“It’s been one of my best starts to the year, with four races consecutively on the podium – things were looking great. But as soon as we came back to Europe, I think our season took a U-turn. Other teams improved and found a lot of performance, on our side we got a bit lost with the car.
“But I think it’s how it is in Formula 1, sometimes things don’t go your way. We’re still here and optimistic we can turn things around as a team, especially for next year.”
The six-time race winner has faced increasing scrutiny, with Red Bull currently third in the constructors’ championship, 53 points off McLaren in top spot with two races and a Sprint session remaining.
While his team-mate Max Verstappen secured his fourth consecutive drivers’ championship title in Las Vegas last time out, Perez has been unable to get his car to perform.
“I think it’s very difficult for people to understand that are not part of team, or around on a daily basis, why from one race to another you are so far away,” he explained.
“There’s a reason why we extended my contract during the year, and the team has everything [they need to know]. We know exactly where we are in terms of performance, in terms of issues, difficulties that we’ve had.
“We are a team and we know exactly internally where everything stands, so we’re working really hard as a team to come through and get back into a much better season than the one that we just had.”
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