Live from the Hungaroring with Susie Wolff

Hello Susie, you are a development driver at Williams and you raced in DTM last year but not this year, do you miss it?

Not at all. I spent 7 years in DTM and it was a good period, but I didn’t have the opportunity to do more. I was in a leading team, in one of the best cars, so it was clear to me that I had to move towards another challenge. My role wasn’t clear here [at Williams] but things have settled, so for me, it was the best decision to leave DTM.

You drove at Silverstone during the young driver tests, what did you learn during that day?

A lot of things, it was a real challenge today but it was also an excellent opportunity. For me, having the opportunity to drive for a whole day means I have a much better understanding of what it’s like [to drive an F1] and I did a lot of laps and my speed was good so I was really delighted.

How important is it for you to be able to drive a real F1 car compared to a simulator?

I think simulators are fantastic preparation tools but they have their limits. You’re in a virtual car, it’s not like being in the car on track. So I think they are good tools for preparation but they don’t replace the real single-seater.

Will this day help you better connect the simulator with the real car?

Yes, 100% because my work in the simulator is useful for the team, but it has always had its limits because I do not drive the real car. That’s why every time Valtteri and Pastor are in the simulator, it’s a particularly important moment as they can tell the engineers how the simulator compares to the real sensations on track. Whereas my work in the simulator is more about feedback on the changes made, whether it’s better or worse, it’s not related to the car. So having had this experience helps me enormously.

So from now on, you’ll be able to compare the simulator’s single-seater with the one running on the track?

Yes. I only had one day of testing, but in the end, it will help me enormously.

You can now have a super licence, will you take it?

I need to check that. I haven’t looked into it yet. The tests were only last week, I don’t think I’ll get a super license by the end of the year but probably next year.

With this super license, you will be able to drive on Fridays, not this year but next year then?

I am very ambitious and I like to move forward, to succeed. I need to see what is possible to do next year. I need to see what the possibilities are within the team [Williams]. But it’s clear that my goal is to be back in the car, so I will do everything for it, but it won’t be easy because there are a lot of young, fast, and talented drivers also fighting for a chance in Formula 1, so I will have to fight.

Do you think you can do more than just drive on Fridays next year?

Who knows. In motorsport and particularly in Formula 1, everything can happen very quickly. Everything can change so fast. It’s most often a matter of timing, luck, and being fast enough, so I have to see what’s possible.

Do you have a contract with Williams for next year, or could you join another team?

I think joining another team is very unlikely. This is my team, I feel really comfortable here, they gave me my chance during the young driver tests and they believed in me, they trusted me, so I want to stay here.

If you only race on Fridays, would you be interested in competing in another championship like Sébastien Buemi, who works for Red Bull in F1 and Toyota in Endurance?

Yes, it’s an option. I need to see what’s possible and what the offers are for next year. But I think it’s more something to do on an occasional basis. I need to see what my options are for next year and how to continue moving forward. I miss the competition, I miss the adrenaline, but I don’t want to risk my role here [at Williams] just for something that isn’t that interesting. I have a lot to do here between the simulator and race weekends, so I need to find the best program.

What is your role exactly during these weekends? Do you attend the various briefings?

Yes, and I am here to work with the sponsors and partners who come to these races and, more broadly, to be an ambassador for the team.

Do you have time to visit the different cities where F1 takes place?

Never. No, never. But I think that when you come to race weekends, you’re really focused on the sport; I wouldn’t want to go shopping in the city. I’m there for the team and I’m there for the race.

So you travel all around the world but without actually being able to visit it?

Yes, but you know, going out in the evening for dinner or arriving earlier on Thursday allows for an hour or two to see the city before coming to the circuit. But I’m not going to complain, it’s not so bad.

From our special correspondent at the Hungaroring