We want to create accessibility, have wide-ranging initiatives, says F1 Academy's Susie Wolff
Jun 09, 2023
London [UK], June 9 : Former Scottish motorsports racing driver Susie Wolff has invited fans to witness a new step in Formula 1 racing as the 'F1 Academy Discover Your Drive' launches on Friday.
Susie Wolff said with F1 Academy Discover Your Drive, they want to create accessibility to the sport.
The main motive behind this step is to encourage female participation in the sport. F1 Academy Discover Your Drive will offer girls and young women the opportunity to take part in entry-level programmes and professional schemes to promote and enhance female participation in the sport.
"With F1 Academy Discover Your Drive, we want to create accessibility to the sport. We want to have wide-reaching initiatives, which really enable those young girls - who are fans of the sport or who have a passion for trying to pursue a career in sport - to really find their first foot in the door of understanding," Susie Wolff said, as per Formula 1 website.
Susie Wolff, 40, who is Managing Director of F1 Academy, said young women are showing growing interest in the sport.
"We want to inspire that generation, create the accessibility, and create the opportunity for them to progress and also be a form of talent identification. Let's start with the positive, I think Formula 1 has a huge female fan base. It is a young female demographic, which is really showing interest in the sport, and that's something we need to capitalise on," she said.
"Why have we started in indoor karting? Because, for those young girls and women watching from their sofa on a Sunday, it's the first access point into the sport. Wheel-base challenges - unlike in tennis or football where you just need a ball or a racket - you need a kart to go racing, and you need to get to a race track. Indoor karting is the first touch point of starting the journey to be a racing driver - but not just a driver - or to be exposed to that environment and to understand what opportunities are available."
Susie Wolff feels there is a lack of role models in female motorsport. "A lack of role models - if you can't see it, you can't believe it. I think there's this belief that motorsport is still quite a male-dominated environment that we really need to break down, and we need to also create the opportunities," she said.
