Meet Me @ MarketSite: Susie Wolff
In this episode of Meet Me @ MarketSite, F1 Academy Managing Director Susie Wolff reflects on having to pave her own path and how F1 Academy is now helping lead the way for women in motorsports.
Transcript:
If I had to have a stock ticker, obviously my life is all about speed and I'm sometimes referred to as Speedy Sue. So maybe $SPSU.
Formula One Academy in three words: Purposeful. Competitive. Impactful.
Who was my biggest inspiration in motorsport? I wouldn't say it's one individual, because I was incredibly lucky to be surrounded by very inspirational people who helped me a lot on my journey.
There was no clear role model that I could look up to, and obviously with F1 Academy, we want to make sure that in future that's not the case, that the next generation have lots of role models to look up to.
I think the people that had the biggest influence on my career are definitely my parents,
because they gave me such a great start in life.
My mum met my dad when she went to buy her first motorbike from his shop, and she was always someone that was achieving on her own and someone that made me believe I could achieve anything that I put my mind to.
And I was then obviously lucky to have the support of my wider family and then my husband later on in my career.
What's the biggest risk I've taken in my career? I think there's been many risks, but always calculated risks knowing what the worst case scenario could be.
In terms of risk taking, as a driver, you're always aware of what the worst case scenario could be.
You're obviously aware that the sport has a certain danger to it, but it's your job to push the car to the absolute limit, to push yourself out of your comfort zone and to get the ultimate performance. That, of course, translates into real life because it allows you to analyze risks.
For me, understanding what was the worst case scenario in any given situation and if I could cope with the worst case scenario, I was quite happy to put myself out there and take the risk.
My one piece of advice for those out there who want to try and break the glass ceiling is believe in yourself. Stand up when you need to be heard. And always remember that if you don't believe in yourself, you can't expect anyone else to.
