Latest news with #F1Academy
The Independent
20 hours ago
- Business
- The Independent
Susie Wolff: ‘F1 is not a man's world anymore'
From a coastal upbringing in the west Scottish town of Oban and first racing in a go-kart at the age of eight, Susie Wolff has, at 42, just about seen it all in motorsport. A racing CV that includes stints in Formula Renault, Formula Three, the sports car series DTM and a trailblazing F1 test drive at Williams have been bookended post-retirement with executive roles at Mercedes and the Formula E team Venturi. But her latest venture is her true passion; some might say her life's work. Wolff is now managing director at the all-female racing series F1 Academy, a competition tasked with finding the next generation of top-quality female racers. Ultimately, the target – by the end of the decade – is for a woman to land a full-time seat in F1. By next year, a woman will have not started an F1 race for half a century, with the last instance being Lella Lombardi's appearance at the 1976 Austrian Grand Prix. When first launching F1 Academy, which now has the backing of all 10 teams and will race on the cards of seven different grands prix this year, Wolff said a woman on the grid was eight to 10 years away. Two years on, ahead of F1: The Academy launching on Netflix, she has not changed her forecast. 'I think about how much we've achieved in a short space of time,' Wolff tells The Independent, in Netflix's plush central London offices. 'The amount of young girls I see at karting tracks, the level we see in F1 Academy. It fills me with a lot of hope for the future. 'I know how tough Formula One is, it's 20 spots on the grid regardless of gender. It's tough. But you've got to hope that with the amount of female talent we're promoting, there has to be one girl that's good enough to be given the opportunity.' Wolff has fought this fight for some time. In 2014, with her appearance in a free practice session at the British Grand Prix, the Scot became the first woman to participate in an F1 weekend since 1992. She drove three more times in practice sessions over two years, and on one occasion, in Germany, recorded a time just two-tenths of a second off her teammate, the star Brazilian driver Felipe Massa. By the end of 2015, Wolff retired. She'd gone as far as she could go. But in the decade since, Wolff has seen a sport and a paddock keen to modernise. There are more women in F1 teams than ever before, whether in garages, communications or events. Support-wise, too, largely as a result of Netflix's Drive to Survive series, 42 per cent of the F1 fanbase is now female, with 18-24-year-old women being the fastest-growing demographic. 'I see the change, it's happening before my eyes,' Wolff says. 'The paddock has so many more women, in different roles and functions, but also because the world is changing – the sport has evolved with it. We can't rest on our laurels, but I do think we're heading in the right direction. 'If F1 Academy can inspire the next generation to realise that this is not a man's world anymore, we will have a lot of positive impact. I see how far we've come in a short space of time, we're challenging perceptions. We've got a lot of momentum.' Wolff exudes a relentless self-confidence in her words. Persuasive and articulate, she is married to Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff and is extremely well respected by her peers in the paddock. It is, after all, in the sport's best interests for a female driver to succeed and thrive in the years to come. However, as Wolff notes in the new docu-series with a powerful statement in the opening episode – 'we want to be more than just a moment, we want to be a movement' – a woman on the grid is not the be-all and end-all. 'Everyone presumes that our metric of success is if we get a girl to Formula One … no, that is not why we exist,' she explains. 'We want to open up the sport to challenge the perception that people think it is still a man's world. We've got the audience out there who are starting to engage with and love the sport. It's about just taking that momentum and creating long-term success.' Challenging the norm is the fulcrum of Wolff's vision. On International Women's Day in March, F1 Academy and Wolff (with a combined Instagram following close to two million) posted a powerful video of the drivers rallying back against misogyny and abuse online. 'It was made tongue in cheek, but it was a moment to realise how far we've come,' Wolff reflects, on a campaign suitably titled 'acclerating action.' 'For all you naysayers, all you that say women don't belong in sport, that women are not good enough as drivers... well, we're not just talking about it, we're doing it. Actions speak louder than words. It was more a way to challenge these outdated perceptions and views.' Wolff has overseen a transition from F1 Academy's opening weekend in 2023, which took place in front of a sparse crowd in Austria, to this year's season concluding on the streets of Las Vegas in November. Abbi Pulling, last year's dominant champion, is this year racing in the GB3 Championship – effectively a rung below F3 – in a fully funded drive. Wolff is watching the 22-year-old British driver's progress in 2025 with an optimistic eye. Yet, presently, all Wolff's goals are lasered in on the growth of women in motorsport, from karting all the way up to the single-seaters. The premiere of a Drive to Survive -esque docu-series on Netflix, with seven 45-minute-long episodes giving a behind-the-scenes look at those in the cockpit and beyond, is another feather in her cap. 'I knew it was going to be hugely important... to get that wider audience and change the perception of the sport,' she says. 'I live in a world that's very objective. Your race results, your business results, but when the first edits came through it was a very subjective conversation, because everyone's got an opinion and you can only really judge or put your opinion on the table. 'But I'm really proud of what we ended up with. I think we hit a very good balance between telling the story of the drivers, making it about the racing and not making it too flowery and girly, because it's still a tough environment – the sport is still tough.' Nobody, it seems, is better equipped to take on this sturdiest of challenges. 'I've spent my life in this sport, it's where my network is,' she says. 'I know what it's like to be an eight-year-old on a race-track and in an F1 car. 'I also know from a business perspective what this series needs to make it a success long-term. The results? They'll speak for themselves.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
More grit than glitz in female motorsport's answer to Drive to Survive
Netflix's fly-on-the-wall documentary Formula 1: Drive to Survive has been such a success that sports have fallen over themselves to try to cash in on the back of it. The latest to allow cameras on the grid is F1: The Academy. The stage is almost the same, even if the story is not. The F1 Academy, under managing director Susie Wolff, has been established to nurture young female talent, and the series is produced by Reese Witherspoon's production company Hello Sunshine. Unlike F1, it is not a career in itself. Drivers must be aged between 16 and 25 and are only allowed to race for two seasons, with just the winner awarded a fully-funded seat in GB3 – the next rung in the ladder before the heights of F2, or even F1. The differences between F1 Academy and Formula One are stark. There are no Monaco penthouses and only one clip of drivers cruising to a track in a luxury vehicle. It might be the pinnacle of female motorsport, but there is a long way to go for the drivers to have more than just a taste of the riches on offer. Instead, drivers live with their managers and only a few have the luxury of an entourage. The documentary will leave even those few who believe the sport is open to all convinced of the barriers. Abbi Pulling, the British driver, cannot afford to have her father fly out and watch while merchandise shoots are a necessity – as she bluntly explains, it helps her pay rent. Wolff says she wants F1 Academy to be a 'movement not a moment', but for those in their final season of the competition there is the constant uncertainty of what the future holds. Pulling's story is one of sacrifice, from her father working seven days a week to fund her karting career to an honest reflection that if she does not win in her final F1 Academy year – and therefore misses out on the GB3 place – that might be the end of her racing journey. Pulling, who does go on to win and is now competing in GB3, says: 'I'm a woman in a man's world trying to prove herself. That's why Mulan is my favourite movie.' It is a harsh reality that contrasts sharply with the glitz and glamour that comes with racing in F1 teams' liveries, on the same weekends and at the same track as the flagship races. As Wolff states plainly: 'If you can't cut it in F1 Academy, there's not going to be much of a career in motorsport left for you.' In F1, even drivers who do not make the cut after a year or two are still compensated heavily, but reaching F1 Academy does not pay the bills. Bianca Bustamante, a driver from the Philippines, boasts more than three million followers on social media, and more on Instagram than F1 driver Liam Lawson. She is mobbed at races, with endless requests for selfies, especially when in Singapore, and her McLaren aide worries how her social media posts and marketing affect her racing – her season is one of pitfalls. In a later episode Mercedes's Toto Wolff, in one of a handful of brief appearances by F1 team principals, says: 'This is not an influencer racing series. Only the best ones must survive.' In the seven-part series, only five stories are really explored – Bustamante, Pulling, Mercedes driver Doriane Pin, sisters Hamda and Amna Al Qubaisi from Dubai, and American rally driver turned track racer Lia Block. Those tuning in expecting another version of the abrasive rivalries between drivers and team principles that are the cornerstone of Drive to Survive will find themselves disappointed. The first episode, titled Not here to make friends, is little more than words as the drivers throw each other birthday parties and take group excursions into the desert. On track there is some frustration, but usually by drivers at their own mistakes, and of course there are a few tears as well. Susie Wolff closes off the season by saying: 'I've driven a Formula One car, and fast. I know it's possible and I want to see a young woman on that grid.' Yet the question remains: is it possible?
Telegraph
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
More grit than glitz in female motorsport's answer to Drive to Survive
Netflix's fly-on-the-wall documentary Formula 1: Drive to Survive has been such a success that sports have fallen over themselves to try to cash in on the back of it. The latest to allow cameras on the grid is F1: The Academy. The stage is almost the same, even if the story is not. The F1 Academy, under managing director Susie Wolff, has been established to nurture young female talent, and the series is produced by Reese Witherspoon's production company Hello Sunshine. Unlike F1, it is not a career in itself. Drivers must be aged between 16 and 25 and are only allowed to race for two seasons, with just the winner awarded a fully-funded seat in GB3 – the next rung in the ladder before the heights of F2, or even F1. The differences between F1 Academy and Formula One are stark. There are no Monaco penthouses and only one clip of drivers cruising to a track in a luxury vehicle. It might be the pinnacle of female motorsport, but there is a long way to go for the drivers to have more than just a taste of the riches on offer. Instead, drivers live with their managers and only a few have the luxury of an entourage. The documentary will leave even those few who believe the sport is open to all convinced of the barriers. Abbi Pulling, the British driver, cannot afford to have her father fly out and watch while merchandise shoots are a necessity – as she bluntly explains, it helps her pay rent. Wolff says she wants F1 Academy to be a 'movement not a moment', but for those in their final season of the competition there is the constant uncertainty of what the future holds. Pulling's story is one of sacrifice, from her father working seven days a week to fund her karting career to an honest reflection that if she does not win in her final F1 Academy year – and therefore misses out on the GB3 place – that might be the end of her racing journey. Pulling, who does go on to win and is now competing in GB3, says: 'I'm a woman in a man's world trying to prove herself. That's why Mulan is my favourite movie.' It is a harsh reality that contrasts sharply with the glitz and glamour that comes with racing in F1 teams' liveries, on the same weekends and at the same track as the flagship races. As Wolff states plainly: 'If you can't cut it in F1 Academy, there's not going to be much of a career in motorsport left for you.' In F1, even drivers who do not make the cut after a year or two are still compensated heavily, but reaching F1 Academy does not pay the bills. Bianca Bustamante, a driver from the Philippines, boasts more than three million followers on social media, and more on Instagram than F1 driver Liam Lawson. She is mobbed at races, with endless requests for selfies, especially when in Singapore, and her McLaren aide worries how her social media posts and marketing affect her racing – her season is one of pitfalls. In a later episode Mercedes's Toto Wolff, in one of a handful of brief appearances by F1 team principals, says: 'This is not an influencer racing series. Only the best ones must survive.' In the seven-part series, only five stories are really explored – Bustamante, Pulling, Mercedes driver Doriane Pin, sisters Hamda and Amna Al Qubaisi from Dubai, and American rally driver turned track racer Lia Block. Those tuning in expecting another version of the abrasive rivalries between drivers and team principles that are the cornerstone of Drive to Survive will find themselves disappointed. The first episode, titled Not here to make friends, is little more than words as the drivers throw each other birthday parties and take group excursions into the desert. On track there is some frustration, but usually by drivers at their own mistakes, and of course there are a few tears as well. Susie Wolff closes off the season by saying: 'I've driven a Formula One car, and fast. I know it's possible and I want to see a young woman on that grid.' Yet the question remains: is it possible?
The Review Geek
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Review Geek
F1: The Academy Season 1 Review – The next generation of female racers?
Season 1 Episode Guide No Friends On Track The One to Beat No More Mrs. Nice Guy Target On My Back Feel The Heat The Hardest Race Of My Life End of the Road F1: The Academy is Netflix's latest docu-series, taking inspiration from Drive to Survive but instead shining a spotlight on the trailblazing women in motorsport. With Formula 1 such a fiercely competitive environment, F1: The Academy is an intriguing addition, clearly aimed at boosting female interest and participation in racing, with the overall aim being to get women on the starting grid in Formula 1. Fronted by Director Susie Wolff, this seven-part series aims to get more eyeballs on the women at the front of the pack — and what better platform to do that than the world's biggest streaming service. The show follows the 2024 race season's ups and downs, shining a light on various racers and their unique stories. Of the group, the standout is undoubtedly Abbi Pulling, whose performances and on-track composure suggest a bright future in the sport. Other drivers featured are more of a mixed bag, including Bianca Bustamante. She's given a significant amount of screen time across the season, and it's hard to tell whether that's because she makes compelling TV — courtesy of several crashes, missing the grid box by a country mile, and stalling the car — or if it's due to the massive media push surrounding her. With over 1.5 million followers, she certainly has the visibility, but her mid-table finish doesn't quite match the narrative. Despite that, The Academy does a solid job of highlighting actual racing talent, with an important caveat: every driver uses the exact same machinery. Given that Formula 1 performance often comes down to funding and car development, this level playing field helps focus on pure skill — and that's a refreshing change. It's worth tempering your expectations though, because the season is filled with mistakes, wobbles, and mental stumbles — but that's part of the appeal. It's about the process: how these women handle high-pressure environments, setbacks, and expectations. The cars themselves are comparable to Formula 4 in terms of performance, so while the racing is fast, it's not quite F1 levels of intensity. If this show proves anything, it's that the road to Formula 1 is paved with blood, sweat, tears — and more than a few missed opportunities. Each episode focuses on different drivers, weaving in the usual Drive to Survive elements: slow-mo race footage, manufactured rivalries, and high-stakes editing. It's a formula that still works, but the real strength here lies in the behind-the-scenes material. These quieter moments off the track are where the series finds its soul. We learn about the drivers' backgrounds, motivations, and the challenges they've overcome. One episode highlights Bianca Bustamante's relationship with social media — though it noticeably avoids addressing some of the controversy surrounding her, including past dishonesty about being homeless, which feels like a missed opportunity for more transparency. The final episode neatly wraps things up with the last race of the season, offering a satisfying conclusion while teasing the possibility of future seasons to follow. It also answers the big question: which, if any, of these drivers make it to the next stage of their journey? In the end, F1: The Academy is clearly designed as a gateway — a platform to inspire the next generation of female racers and show that motorsport isn't just a man's game. In that respect, it succeeds. While not perfect, it's an important and engaging watch that brings much-needed visibility to a side of the sport too often overlooked.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Ken Block's daughter carries on his legacy: Racing prodigy Lia stars in new Netflix show F1 Academy two years after her father's death in tragic snowmobile accident
As the eldest daughter of one of the world's greatest rally legends, it's perhaps no surprise that Lia Block could reach the pedals of a car at the age of five and that her 'first love' was motorsports. And as she appears this week in new Netflix series, F1: The Academy, 18-year-old Lia, who is from Utah, certainly seems to be following in her father's footsteps. Ken Block was known globally for his ferocious driving packed with exhilarating stunts that were watched by tens of millions on his YouTube channels, as well as his prolific professional rallying career. But in November 2023, the action sports star, 55, met with tragedy when his snowmobile overturned and landed on top of him in Utah, and he died at the scene. Then aged just 16, Lia was left heartbroken, writing in an emotional tribute that she'd lost her 'whole world' - her 'best friend', as well as her father. Having grown up travelling around the world as she watched him in race paddocks, Lia was forced to continue her motorsports journey without her beloved mentor. Despite facing such a devastating loss, she's gone from strength to strength, having been crowned the youngest American Rally Association Champion in 2023 at just 17 and has now traded in the world of off-road racing for the challenge of open wheel with Williams. Appearing in the first episode of the new F1 Academy, the racing prodigy reflected on her special relationship with her father now that she's following in his footsteps - though admitted she wishes she could just be a 'race-car driver' without all the pressures of social media. 'My dad was a race-car driver as well in Rallycross,' Lia explained and admitted she now understands why he found it so 'tiring'. She said: 'Motorsports is definitely my first love. When I was like, five or six, I was like, "hey Dad, look, I can touch the pedals". 'Watching my dad being in race paddocks, it was a big part of my life. I think it just made me know, "oh yes, this is actually what I want to do." Lia was 15 when she did her first rally, winning each one and eventually won the championship - becoming the first woman to ever do so. 'Yeah, I'm a girl, and I can still beat you,' she told viewers, demonstrating her father's fierce spirit. In the series, Lia joins Susie Wolff, a former professional driver and now managing director of F1 Academy, helping young women to enter the world of motorsport which, the series admits, is ' dominated by men '. Lia began karting for fun at five years old and sat behind the wheel of an off-road car by age ten. After traveling around the world with her father, Ken - the founder of the Hoonigan racing team and one of motorsport's most popular figures - she began showing interest in pursuing racing herself by the age of eleven. She said her father was her 'whole world' and her 'best friend' 'My dad always opened the doors for me, but never forced me to do anything,' she told in an interview last year. 'So I went off and tried every other sport I could, but eventually made it back to [motorsport] when I was about 10 or 11. 'So I think that made me want it even more because I had tried all these different things, but coming back to motorsport was truly like I knew what I wanted to do.' Once she decided to participate full-time, she went full throttle. At 11, she began competing in off-road series' and began rallying at 15. By age 16, she had won the American Rally Association Championship with two races in hand in a modified rear-wheel drive Subaru BRZ. In addition to her rallying pursuits, she also raced in nitrocross as well as in the electric rallying series Extreme E. Other pursuits included winning her class in the Baja 1000 alongside her mother Lucy and racing her father's pink Porsche 911 dubbed the 'Hoonapigasus' up the Pikes Peak hill climb - before switching to open car for the F1 Academy. However, her father wasn't there to watch her transition from the world of rallying to open-wheelers after his tragic passing in a snowmobile accident in January of 2023. In November 2023, Williams approached her with an offer to join their driver academy - which she accepted. She joined ART Grand Prix for the 2024 season. Lia has continued to post photos of her father in his memory to Instagran She is equally as glamorous off the track as she is on racing day 'He was truly my whole world and the only person I ever looked up too,' Lia wrote in an emotional Instagram post the day after his passing. 'No matter what I did he was always there to support me. 'I can't believe how fast he was taken from all of us. No words can describe of how much of an amazing human my dad was, he lived so many lives, accomplished more in 55 years than most people could in 10 lifetimes, and lived his life to the absolute fullest every single day.' She added: 'I didn't just lose my father, I lost my best friend.' Just hours before the horrific accident in Utah, a proud Ken Block had boasted about his daughter Lia's achievements to his own Instagram followers. The motoring legend posted a picture of Lia next to a 1985 Audi Quattro that she had purchased and restored herself. The action star regularly boasted of his pride in his children to his eight million Instagram followers, particularly oldest daughter Lia and her motoring endeavours. Lia also previously competed on her father's Hoonigan Racing team. In his final Instagram post, Block said: 'The 4th and final episode of my 16-year-old daughter Lia buying, tearing down, rebuilding and now driving her '85 Audi Ur Quattro will be live at 8am PST tomorrow on my YouTube channel. She is pictured in the new Netflix series, which is available to stream now 'Will her newly-refinished vintage Audi finally do a donut?? Or will this old car break in the attempt? Tune in to find out!' In one of his most recent Instagram posts, Block had also shared his holiday trip surrounded by family in a snowy Canadian ski lodge. The former rallying pro had posted a family photo with his wife Lucy, and three children, including Lia as he wished his followers a 'merry Christmas from the Blocks'. Lia is still clearly close to her her mother Lucy, who appears alongside her in the Netflix show and regularly posts photographs with her younger siblings, Kira and Mika. Giving Lucy a shoutout for her birthday last month, Lia wrote: 'Happy birthday to my amazing mom. I love you so much and thank you for all that you do for me. I would never be in my position without your guidance and support.' Her mother replied: 'I can't wait to see you continue to crush your goals! You are a force! I love you. ❤️ thank you.' Outside of racing, Lia enjoys cycling and playing golf and working out. She's also kept up her snowmobiling hobby, despite her father's accident. Despite her newfound fame - Lia now boasts more than one million followers on Instagram - she remains humble, and is even shy of the camera. Lia Block of United States and ART Grand Prix (57) drives on track during F1 Academy Testing at Circuit Zandvoort on April 17, 2024 Speaking in the Netflix show, Lia admitted she hadn't even heard of Good Morning American until a 'few weeks ago' and had to ask her mother what it was. 'I never really wanted to be in front of the camera,' she said. 'If social media wasn't a thing, I would much rather just be a race-car driver.' In her interview with last year, she described the transition from rallying to open-wheelers as 'starting from the ground up again' and says that she only had accumulated 20 days behind the wheel before the first F1 Academy race in Jeddah. 'I felt like I knew nothing. Obviously, doing a bit of karting when I was younger, I wasn't completely oblivious, but it was still a very steep learning curve. 'And also coming from competing at the top of rally in the US and winning the Championship, I was used to winning. I wasn't used to being at the bottom. 'So it was quite different going to open-wheel racing and having to learn everything and everything be so new.' Lia said she's honored to be among the first generations of drivers to take part in the all-women's series and says that her fellow competitors are 'very experienced, and they've raced against men all their life and they know how to hold their own.' She does admit that she was surprised by the difference in experience on track, but says, 'it makes me more excited to keep learning because I want to surpass them.
