Overcoming a career-threatening ankle injury, she became the first woman to take part in a Formula One race in 22 years.
Absorbed in motorsport since childhood— she grew to be a world class kart racer by the age of 14.
Recognized for her role as an ambassador for women in sport, she was awarded an Honorary Fellowship at University of Edinburgh.
Childhood
Susie Wolff was born on December 6, 1982 in Oban, Scotland. Â As a child, she accompanied her parents, who owned a motorcycle shop, to different race tracks and did her very first laps in a fun kart.
From the early age of 8 she started to race karts at club level. At the age of 14, she snagged the top positions at both the European and international levels.Â
She interrupted her studies at Edinburgh’s Business School in order to turn professional.
Career
Her debut came in 2001, when she started with Formula Renault. In 2003, she was selected as the BRDC Rising Star and qualified as the only woman for the final round of the coveted McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver Award.
The following year, she made the leap into the British F3 International Series but broke her ankle and had to withdraw.
She came back strong and was signed by Mercedes Benz. Susie’s DTM debut in 2006 saw her finish in the top ten, and she became part of the most popular touring car championships in the world.
Her most successful season was 2010 when she finished finished seventh and made points as first woman in DTM after almost 20 years.Â
In 2012 Susie was appointed development driver for the Williams F1 Team. Her main job was based at the factory driving the simulator and carrying out aerodynamical tests.
Susie made her first appearance in a full test in 2013 and became the first female to take part in a timed F1 session since 1992, finishing just over two seconds behind the World Champion.
Personal Life
Susie married Toto Wolff in 2011. Toto is the executive director of the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team. Â
She is bilingual in English and German, and an accomplished public speaker.