Susie Wolff Declares Williams Loyalty

Susie Wolff has declared loyalty to Williams, after her husband Toto Wolff’s switch to Mercedes from the Grove-based outfit. Although Toto Wolff will become the Executive Director of Mercedes, Susie Wolff has expressed via Twitter that she will remain with Williams as their development driver.

Amid several personnel changes within the Formula 1 paddock, which have included Toto Wolff’s switch to Mercedes and Timo Glock’s surprise departure from Marussia, Susie Wolff has declared her loyalty to Williams despite rumors the 30-year-old could follow her husband to Mercedes. However, Susie Wolff has confirmed via the social networking site Twitter that she will remain with Williams throughout the forthcoming season, as she continues to work as the team’s development driver.

“Just to clarify, I am a proud member of the Williams F1 Team,” insisted Susie Wolff via Twitter. “There was never any question of me leaving. Very happy for my husband, we will be fighting him hard on track!

Despite Toto Wolff’s departure from Williams, the Grove-based outfit will still be hopeful of another competitive season in 2013. Pastor Maldonado will start his third season at the outfit alongside rookie Valtteri Bottas, as the duo aim to continue fighting at the sharp-end of the order. The new Williams FW35 will be unveiled later than the majority of the other teams on the grid, prior to the second pre-season test at Barcelona on February 19th.

Picture Copyright © Williams F1 Team

Toto Wolff Linked To Management Role At Mercedes

Recent reports have linked Toto Wolff to a senior management position at Mercedes, following on from Norbert Haug’s departure from the German marque last year. These reports speculate that Toto Wolff would assume the role previously held by Haug within the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

As preparations for the new season continues to gather momentum, it seems the 41-year-old is set to leave his position of Executive Director and Shareholder of the Williams Formula 1 team in a switch which will see him join Mercedes in a senior management role. This could potentially see Wolff work alongside fellow countryman Niki Lauda, as the German marque aims for a much more competitive 2013 season with Nico Rosberg and former McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton behind the wheel.

Currently Toto Wolff is the co-owner of the HWA company which runs Mercedes-Benz’s DTM programme, which coincidentally ran the Austrian’s wife Susie Wolff during her campaign in DTM. The 30-year-old female star has since become the development driver at Williams, and it is currently unknown whether she will switch to Mercedes should the rumors linking Toto Wolff to the German marque come to fruition.

Both Toto Wolff and the Mercedes Formula 1 Team decided against commenting on the recent rumors, which surfaced in German newspaper Bild. However, it is believed within the F1 fraternity that a deal between the two parties has already been struck, despite no official confirmation from either Mercedes or Williams on the matter. This move would unquestionably add to an already strong team at Mercedes, with the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Ross Brawn and Niki Lauda all working to push the German marque further up the Formula 1 ladder.

Picture Copyright © Williams F1 Team

Susie Wolff Gets Maiden F1 Outing At Silverstone

Susie Wolff got her first taste of Formula 1 machinery yesterday around the Silverstone International Circuit, at a Williams F1 Parter Event held at the home of British motorsport. This saw the team roll out many of their legendary cars such as the FW08 and the FW18. Wolff drove last season’s Williams FW33, completing two 50km runs.

British driver Susie Wolff joined the Grove-based outfit in April 2012 as the team’s development driver, a role which has since coincided with her ongoing career in the German DTM series. Before yesterday’s partner event, Wolff had only ever worked on the team’s simulator. Albeit in slightly tricky conditions to begin with, Susie Wolff explained her first ever run in an F1 car as an incredible and exhilarating experience.

“It was incredible to experience a Formula One car for the first time.” Explained Susie Wolff, “I’ve done a lot of simulator work since I joined the team but nothing compares to the exhilaration of driving the real thing. The conditions were a little tricky as it was quite damp at the beginning of the run but the track soon dried out. The team also did a fantastic job preparing me for today, giving me all the information I needed so that I was always in control.’’

Throughout the day, Bruno Senna drove the Williams FW08 from the 1982 season, which saw Keke Rosberg to victory once throughout the 16-race season. Pastor Maldonado drove the FW18, a car which propelled Damon Hill to his one and only Drivers’ Championship in 1996. Together, both Damon Hill and then team-mate Jacques Villeneuve won 12 out of the 16 races throughout the 1996 season.

Picture Copyright © Williams F1 Team

Bruno Senna Under Threat From Valtteri Bottas

As Pastor Maldonado romped to his maiden Grand Prix victory during Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix, his team-mate Bruno Senna was involved in a collision with Michael Schumacher and subsequently retired from the race. Although the incident was in no way Senna’s fault, his future with the team is looking in doubt for 2013 and beyond.

With Williams reserve driver and reigning GP3 Champion Valtteri Bottas impressing Williams throughout his various Friday practice sessions, speculation is now growing that the Finnish driver could replace Senna in the near future. The 22-year-old has already driven for the Grove-based team in four Friday practice sessions this season, and has shown impressive pace alongside Pastor Maldonado. For all of these sessions, Bottas has replaced Senna in the car, and will allegedly continue to do so throughout the remainder of 2012.

Williams have also signed two new Finnish sponsors recently, both of which sponsor Bottas. Wihuri, a Finnish International Industry and Trade Conglomerate, and have sponsored Bottas since 2006. The other new sponsor is a Finnish welding manufacturer called Kempii, a company which has sponsored Bottas since 2008. The Finnish driver is also managed by Williams investor Christian ‘Toto’ Wolff, who’s wife Susie Wolff née Stoddart is a Williams test driver.

Although Senna scored the first World Championship points for Williams this season, he has failed to progress through to Q3 in any qualifying sessions so far. During the Spanish Grand Prix, Senna wasn’t even able to progress through to Q2, whereas his team-mate qualified on the front row. With Williams undeniably grooming Bottas for an eventual race seat at the team, it seems the writing is on the wall for Bruno Senna. The next few races will be imperative for the Brazilian, as Maldonado aims for further race victories and podiums in 2012.

Picture Copyright © Williams F1 Team

Susie Wolff Becomes Williams Development Driver

Female driver Susie Wolff has been announced as the Williams F1 Team Development Driver, joining Marussia test driver Maria de Villota as the second female driver involved in the sport.

Born in Scotland, Susie Wolff currently races in DTM, and this season will see her start her seventh year in the series. She began her motor sport career in karting, before moving to junior single-seater series’ such as British Formula Renault and British F3 before making her DTM debut in 2006 with Mücke Motorsport. 

“Susie is a talented, successful and highly professional racing driver who competes in one of the world’s most fiercely-contested racing series.” Commented Sir Frank Williams, “Susie will join Williams as a Development Driver, in which capacity she will assist us with the development of our simulator and other technical challenges. Susie will also undertake some aerodynamic testing of the FW34 and a full track test in the coming months. Susie will also attend a number of races with us. I should add that, as Susie is married to Toto Wolff, a Director of Williams, her appointment was carefully considered and then approved by the Board, with Toto recusing himself from the process.”

“I would like to thank Sir Frank for giving me this opportunity both on and off the track.” Said Susie Wolff, “I must also thank Mercedes Benz AMG and HWA for supporting me to take up this new experience with Williams. Formula One is the ultimate challenge for any racing driver and it offers me the chance both to apply and to improve the skills I have developed racing in DTM. In return I shall be offering some of my own technical insight and experience – coming from a different discipline – and helping the team engage with its partners. I hope also to demonstrate that women can play a role at the highest levels of motorsport and I shall be working closely with the team on its social responsibility programme in the areas of education and road safety.”

Formula 1 Supremo, Bernie Ecclestone, also offered his approval of Susie’s announcement at Williams, “If Susie is as quick in a car as she looks good out of a car then she will be a massive asset to any team and on top of that she is very intelligent. I am really looking forward to having her in Formula One.”

Susie Wolff will be preparing for her first race of the season, as the 2012 DTM Series gets underway towards the end of the month at the Hockenheimring.

Picture Copyright © Williams F1 Team