How Susie Wolff Got All 10 F1 Teams to Back F1 Academy

F1 Academy managing director Susie Wolff has detailed how she convinced all 10 Formula 1 teams to support the all-female series, turning around a fledgling championship that faced empty grandstands and sponsorship struggles. After a deserted first season, Wolff leveraged her industry relationships and tenacity to secure commitments, ensuring the series’ survival and growth.

Why it matters:

The backing of every F1 team gives F1 Academy critical visibility and financial stability, elevating female drivers and creating a clear pathway to higher categories. This collective support transforms the series from a niche experiment into a legitimate step toward F1.

The details:

• Wolff visited Circuit Paul Ricard for the first race and found a near-empty track. Team bosses told her the model wasn’t working, drivers couldn’t pay, and two teams planned to leave.
• She proposed bringing commercial assets in-house and asking each F1 team to sponsor a car. After getting a green light from F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, she approached teams individually.
• Fred Vasseur at Ferrari was an early supporter, suggesting unique car liveries. McLaren’s Zak Brown and Red Bull’s Christian Horner also backed the idea, despite Wolff’s husband Toto being the team principal at Mercedes.
• “I had one at home, but he said I couldn’t be first – get six on board,” Wolff recalled. She secured seven teams first, then convinced the remaining three by the time contracts were signed.
• Her persistence paid off: “I wasn’t ever hugely confident, but we did it. It was down to tenacity and refusing to take no for an answer.”

What’s next:

With all 10 teams on board, F1 Academy races now feature prominently on F1 weekends, attracting sponsors and media attention. Wolff’s next focus is maintaining momentum and ensuring the series becomes a sustainable talent pool for young female drivers.