[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/latest-news\/williams-formula-1-racer-susie-wolff-documentary-sunday-on-bbc2\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/latest-news\/williams-formula-1-racer-susie-wolff-documentary-sunday-on-bbc2\/","headline":"Williams Formula 1 racer Susie Wolff documentary, Sunday on BBC2","name":"Williams Formula 1 racer Susie Wolff documentary, Sunday on BBC2","description":"This Sunday on BBC2 at 5.30pm a documentary called \u2018Driven: The Fastest Woman In The World\u2019 will be screened. The documentary charts the rise of Susie Wolff in her attempt to become the first Formula One racing driver to compete in a Grand Prix since 1976. Susie Wolff has always had a fascination with speed and competing, starting her career in karting, the first in a series of stepping-stones towards competing in the more illustrious realms of high-octane motorsport. It […]","datePublished":"2013-04-11","dateModified":"2013-04-11","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/author\/isabelle-lawrence\/#Person","name":"Isabelle Lawrence","url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/author\/isabelle-lawrence\/","identifier":30,"description":"Max Wheeler is a leading motoring journalist and classic car specialist at Smart Motoring, renowned for his sharp insight and infectious passion for all things automotive. With years of experience covering motoring news, supercars, and the enduring legacy of classic cars, Max brings stories to life with style and authority. Whether it\u2019s the roar of a Lamborghini, the elegance of an Aston Martin DB5, or the cultural impact of vintage motoring icons, he delivers expert commentary that inspires enthusiasts and collectors alike. Dedicated to celebrating the heritage and future of driving, Max Wheeler is your trusted voice for classic car news and beyond.","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8d331506e3c530b5ec4930c30a01ed8cc29b0537227573ae5da98f559e681401?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8d331506e3c530b5ec4930c30a01ed8cc29b0537227573ae5da98f559e681401?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Smart Motoring","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/smart-motoring_news_logo_g-e1765846726493.webp","url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/smart-motoring_news_logo_g-e1765846726493.webp","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/susie-wolff-formula-1-williams-cockpit.jpg","url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/susie-wolff-formula-1-williams-cockpit.jpg","height":300,"width":300},"url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/latest-news\/williams-formula-1-racer-susie-wolff-documentary-sunday-on-bbc2\/","about":["LATEST CAR NEWS","Sports \/ Performance & Prestige cars"],"wordCount":778,"keywords":["alan docking racing","bernie ecclestone","brabham","C-Class","damien hill","driver development programme","dtm","euro series","f1","formula 1","formula 3","formula one","formula renault","formula three","giovanna amati","grand prix","Mercedes-Benz","motaworld racing","mucke motorsport","susie wolff","williams"],"articleBody":"This Sunday on BBC2 at 5.30pm a documentary called \u2018Driven: The Fastest Woman In The World\u2019 will be screened. The documentary charts the rise of Susie Wolff in her attempt to become the first Formula One racing driver to compete in a Grand Prix since 1976.Susie Wolff has always had a fascination with speed and competing, starting her career in karting, the first in a series of stepping-stones towards competing in the more illustrious realms of high-octane motorsport. It has certainly been the case for Susie, who then moved on to race Formula Renault, the next logical step towards the holy-grail, before progressing onto Formula Three.Susie has now been with Williams Formula One since 2012 as a development driver. The development driver programme could perhaps be seen as similar to a football club having a rich youth policy, the likes of Ryan Giggs and David Beckham probably being the most famous products of this investment in the future.While there has been criticism in some quarters of exploiting the drivers with relatively low pay and contracts that are disproportionately long, it is hard to argue against the smooth path to success that this route can provide to a talented youngster, where fame and Formula One success can bring much wealth and a lifestyle which most of us would envy.\u00a0With the development driver programme, the fledgling racers are given the chance to learn their trade and mature through the Formula 3 Euro Series or even stock car racing.Susie Wolff was born in Oban in Scotland in 1982 and first took up karting in 1996 where she was named British Woman Kart Racing Driver of the Year, an accolade she would be given again in 1997.\u00a0In 2001 Wolff took the next big step in her steady progression towards the top. Formula Renault was to provide her with more success as a single seat racer racing for Motaworld Racing until 2004.By now Susie Wolff was a name that was being recognised in the world of motorsport, and her progress up the ladder was becoming as fast as the cars she was being given to race.\u00a0Formula Three was the next step in 2005 where she raced for Alan Docking Racing, but this wasn\u2019t an entirely happy period due to breaking her ankle after just 4 races.This could easily have been a career end as the building momentum was dramatically halted. But luck remained on Susie\u2019s side as she was contacted by Mercedes-Benz who offered her a once in a lifetime chance to try out for DTM.Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters is what it sounds like, the German Touring Car Masters. This was the big time. Driving a C-Class Mercedes-Benz Coupe Susie competed for M\u00fccke Motorsport until 2011 achieving a best finish of 9th overall.Now the focus for Susie was for the top, Formula One loomed ominously on the horizon, and in 2012 she took her current role as development driver for Williams. F1.If you need any more clarification as to what a big moment for female racing this is, then it\u2019s worth pointing out that only 5 female racing drivers have made it in the past 62 years of the World Championship. Now compare that to the contrasting figure of 822 men.The last female racer, Giovanna Amati while racing for Brabham, failed to actually qualify on several occasions before being sacked and replaced by Damien Hill. Susie knows that the next step is the biggest of all, actually getting onto the grid where only 24 spaces are available – and that\u2019s not counting the fact that very few of these actually become vacant spaces to be filled each year.Add to this the special qualities that you need to overcome the male-dominated world of F1 where Bernie Ecclestone feels he can comfortably say \u201dif Susie\u2019s as quick in a car as she looks good out of a car then she\u2019ll be a huge asset.\u201d and you begin to grasp the magnitude of the task ahead.To my mind, a perfectly innocent comment but dangerous in the present climate of having to be oh-so painfully politically correct 24\/7. The comment was noted and taken out of context in the media at the time, but hey, we are talking about a wider industry where beautiful women are uniformly draped across car bonnets, so lets keep some perspective.It is that particular image that goes hand in hand with motorsport and new car launches that Susie Wolff must not so much fight against, but overcome. I think she has the quiet strength of character that will indeed see her past the final hurdle to becoming the first woman to race Grand Prix since 1976. Watch this space."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Latest News","item":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/latest-news\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Williams Formula 1 racer Susie Wolff documentary, Sunday on BBC2","item":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/latest-news\/williams-formula-1-racer-susie-wolff-documentary-sunday-on-bbc2\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]