#F1Academy Full Throttle: Susie Wolff’s Grand Plan

From eight-year-old kart kid to F1 Academy boss, Susie Wolff is rewriting motorsport’s gender rules

It’s F1 weekend in Miami, but the real story is happening off the main grid. Susie Wolff, Managing Director of F1 Academy, drops into The Deal with the kind of clarity, passion, and no-BS ambition you rarely see in motorsport boardrooms. Starting as an eight-year-old with Barbie dolls between practice laps, Wolff’s journey took her from podiums alongside Lewis Hamilton to the top office of Formula E and now F1 Academy—a female-only racing series with its eyes locked on the main event: Formula One.

With Netflix and Reese Witherspoon riding shotgun, Charlotte Tilbury in the paddock, and all ten F1 teams now backing her vision, Wolff isn’t just building a racing league—she’s creating a cultural movement. Here’s how she did it.

The Lowdown

• F1 Academy is a female-only series at the Formula 4 level with a mission: get women back on the Formula 1 grid for the first time in 50 years.

• Wolff’s journey started at age 8, leading to a 7-year Mercedes stint and a pioneering role as F1 test driver.

• Her transition to business began with a bold move: turning around a loss-making Formula E team with zero salary and 30% equity.

• All ten F1 teams now back F1 Academy, painting liveries and investing in young female drivers.

• Sponsors like Charlotte Tilbury and Tommy Hilfiger joined early, transforming the grid—and the sport’s image.

• A Netflix docuseries, produced with Hello Sunshine, is set to elevate the F1 Academy brand and bring it to a whole new audience.

“We want to be the rocket fuel for progression.”

F1 Academy sits at the base of the F1 pyramid, existing solely for female drivers. It’s Formula 4 now, but the pipeline is aimed straight at the top.

Only 20 F1 seats exist, gender aside—it’s brutal. But the sport’s skewed early on. Not enough girls enter karting. Susie’s plan: change perception, build role models, and flood the bottom tier with talent.

“It's been 50 years since a woman raced in F1. We need to change that.” – Susie Wolff

“We’re creating a platform that gives these young women a real chance.” – Susie Wolff

“I wasn’t the stereotypical girl racer.”

From Barbies in the paddock to racing Lewis Hamilton, Susie’s story is one of tenacity over raw talent. Her early racing career was lonely—often the only girl on track. She didn’t even notice… until they handed her a top female award.

She broke ankles, lost sponsors, then got that call from Mercedes. From test drives to making history, her F1 career was a constant fight to belong.

“At 18, I was ranked 15th in the world—and the only girl.” – Susie Wolff

“You wear a helmet. You don’t see gender out there.” – Susie Wolff

“I copied my husband’s deal: No salary, 30% equity.”

Post-retirement, she took a leap. Wolff turned around a struggling Formula E team with no pay and full risk. Her playbook? Poach race winners from LinkedIn. Set realistic goals. Build a culture. Make it profitable.

Three years later, the team was contending for a world championship.

“I said, don’t pay me. Give me equity. I’ll turn it around.” – Susie Wolff

“Within three years, we were profitable and fighting for the title.” – Susie Wolff

“We didn’t need another panel on diversity. We needed action.”

F1 Academy wasn’t a vanity project—it was a moonshot. Wolff hesitated. Did the sport need a segregated series? Could it survive commercially?

Then came the call from Liberty and F1’s CEO. Real backing. Real budget. Real change.

“The first time all ten F1 teams gave their names to cars they didn’t build. That’s history.” – Susie Wolff

“If we didn’t do this now, we’d regret it forever.” – Susie Wolff

“I called Stefano: Ask your wife who Charlotte Tilbury is.”

A year before launch, Wolff needed six liveries sold in eight weeks. Enter Charlotte Tilbury. The makeup mogul wanted to sponsor a driver. Susie upsold her to sponsor an entire team.

The pink-lipsticked car went viral. The paddock got a glam station. Suddenly, F1 Academy wasn’t just serious—it was cool.

“I got a call: You did a deal with Charlotte Tilbury? That’s so cool.” – Susie Wolff“She came in and disrupted the whole image of what a driver could look like.” – Susie Wolff

“We’re not the little sister. We’re the bold disruptor.”

F1 Academy runs alongside F1 weekends, but it’s carving its own space. More than 70% of its audience is female. It’s reaching people F1 hasn’t touched—yet.

By partnering with Netflix and Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine, it’s aiming for the same global impact Drive to Survive had.

“We wanted a show that wasn’t a reality TV cliché. These are real racers.” – Susie Wolff

“I’m not the target audience anymore. That’s why we brought in Reese.” – Susie Wolff

“If they can see it, they can be it.”

For Wolff, the long game is about more than just breaking into F1—it’s about normalizing girls on the grid. She wants F1 Academy to be the first dream for every young girl who loves speed.

Her goal: the next champion graduates up, competes with the best, and makes history.

“If my son races a girl, he doesn’t question it. That’s the change we’ve made.” – Susie Wolff

“Our champion just nearly podiumed in her first post-Academy race.” – Susie Wolff

Quickfire

Your deal-making style? Authentic.

More important: gut or data? Gut.

Dream partner on a deal? Toto.

Best advice? Always have another option.

Worst advice? Close the deal at any cost.

Hype song? “Don’t Stop Believin’.”

One sport forever? Formula One.

One team to win it all? Scotland’s rugby team.

Advice to young women eyeing your path? Go for it.