This article is for Tuesday 12th August
Susie Wolff is set to become the first woman to drive at a Formula One Grand Prix race weekend in 22 years. Wolff, 31, will get behind the wheel in the first practice session at the upcoming British and German Grands Prix, the racing team Williams announced yesterday. Wolff is a development driver for the team, meaning she tests cars and could potentially work her way up to taking part in Formula One races.
You don’t often see the phrases ‘woman’ and ‘Formula One’ in the same sentence…
Not unless you’re referring to the ‘pit babes’ – models whose purpose is to titillate the crowds. The profession is dominated almost exclusively by men. The last woman to take part in any stage of a grand prix weekend was Italian Giovanna Amati in 1992 and the last woman to race in an F1 car was fellow Italian Lella Lombardi in 1976. Wolff has said: “Some people are against women breaking into F1, but it’s not about gender for me. I want to race and be the fastest on the track, not just the fastest woman.”
What’s the reaction been like since she started racing?
Initially some people viewed her as a stereotypical “blonde girl walking around the paddock dreaming of being a Formula One driver”, she has said. Even in the paddock a lot of people assumed it was just a marketing ploy from Williams. However, Wolff said: “There was no way Frank and Claire [Williams] were going to let me near an F1 car if a) they didn’t think I was ready and b) they didn’t think I could bring performance to the team.”
So what’s her, ahem, track record like?
The Scottish driver has devoted much of her life to the sport. She grew up in Oban, Argyll, but now splits her time between Thurgau, Switzerland, and Grove, Oxfordshire, where Williams is based. She began go-karting when she was eight years old and has been going full throttle ever since graduating to significantly more powerful vehicles. From 2006 she spent six years competing in the DTM, the German Touring Car Championship, and in April 2012 she was appointed development driver for the Williams F1 team.
How did Wolff respond to yesterday’s news?
“It’s an incredible opportunity they have given me and it’s one I am going to grab with both hands,” she said. “Each step of the way, I proved myself, did a good job, gave the team what they needed in terms of feedback and that then led to more opportunity within the team,” she added.
© ACADEMIA ARALAR. Estella, Navarra.
We usually connect one gender to one sport, I mean, we usually think football is for the boys and ballet for the girls. But it is not this way. We should be more open-minded.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, it is a really good idea to have a gir in Formula 1, because it its not the normal kind of gender you found there and it is great to proved that everyone has the chance to do whatever they want, no matter their gender.
Connecting one gender to one sport is another problem we have. Like Estibaliz has said we should be more open-minded and let everyone practise the sport he/she want without looking bad to him/her. It,s true that futbol or formula one is more adapted to boys, but, why a woman can´t practise it if she want? And also with ballet, gymnastics, etc.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, we shouldn´tu think that way and let everybody do whatever she/he like.
When we talk about f1 we all think, boys and girls, in boys with their cars, we think that cars are only for men and that is one of the things we have to change.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion this girl can be as good as man because it seems like if a woman can not be good with the car and that is not true, there are women who are good and other who are bad but boys are the same as us.
Maybe she become a reference for girls and they want to do what she does.
As Irache I think that we should let people do what they like and leave the stereotype behind.
I really like when I read that a girl is in a sport that we have conected with boys or vicebersa. I think that if someone is good at something, it doesn't matter if that person is a man or a woman, we both are ecuals and we should have the same oportunities.
ReplyDeleteWe all know that years ago we didn't have same oportunities as men, and with hard work this mentality has been changing so maybe one day we'll be watching a football match with mixed teams.
Linking some sports to a gender is usual in our society. On the one side, normally sports linked to boys are the ones you have to be brave, connected with engines, adrenaline, strenghth and stuff. On the other side, sports that "are for girls" are connected to elegance, delicacy, beauty... That means that there is sexism also here.
ReplyDeleteAlthough this is changing little by little we need to change our sexist thoughts rapidly. In fact, people like the girl in the new are helping in this process. It is clear that everyone should have the same oportunities, no matter the gender.