Oban racing star Susie Wolff says Netflix F1 documentary will help make history

Press and Journal

01-06-2025

Oban racing star Susie Wolff is paving the way for female representation on the Formula 1 grid through the launch of a new Netflix series.
F1: The Academy goes behind the scenes as female drivers work towards earning a place on the starting grid.
Wolff is the managing director of F1 Academy – a women-only racing league designed to develop and promote female talent in motorsport.
Teaming up with Hollywood actress Reese Witherspoon's production company Hello Sunshine, she hopes to end the stigma around the male-dominated sport.
It has been almost 50 years since a woman competed in an F1 race.
Late Italian driver Lella Lombardi was the last woman to make history during her appearance at the 1976 Austrian Grand Prix.
She is the only woman to score points in a race, scoring half a point at the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix.
Wolff, who is married to Mercedes F1 team boss Toto Wolff, is no stranger to the pressures facing females in the sport.
The 42-year-old was a development driver for Williams and drove for the team during practice sessions at F1 races before retiring in 2015.
She hopes change is around the corner, opening the door to fresh female talent.
She said: 'Of course, I want to see a woman on the grid, and I think that will be inevitable when we get the building blocks in place that we know we have to do for long-term success and without a doubt, that will be a proud moment when we see a woman take to the grid.
'You know, there's only two spots in the grid per team, and it's very, very tough to get to Formula One, so we've got to make sure that we put the right steps in place that a woman has that chance in hopefully the not-too-distant future.'
The docuseries will be hoping to replicate the global success achieved by the previous Drive to Survive series.
The new Netflix series gives fans a behind-the-scenes look at the trials and tribulations facing drivers and their prospective teams both on and off the grid.
Wolff, who was born in Oban, hopes to inspire the next generation of female drivers.
She added: 'The series is showing that the sport is no longer just a man's world because without Formula One, Formula One Academy wouldn't exist.
'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.'
You can watch all seven episodes on Netflix.