Susie Wolff retires

[David]

[Born Racer]

I certainly think women have plenty of chances of making it into Formula 1, because if there are additional marketing benefits in addition to being an excellent driver, a team will surely snap up such a driver in the same way they snap up many drivers for reasons other than pure talent.

Lewis Hamilton was clearly a big talent other than any marketing benefits from any racial aspects, so he would have made it if he hadn't been mixed race/ black. Nonetheless, the FOM camera often focuses on black fans in the crowd at Grands Prix. I can't be sure whether his presence has attracted more black fans, but it may have helped. In any case, Lewis is arguably very marketable for aspects other than any racial things, such as his other interests and character.

My point is the right woman will make it if she's good enough.

[Paulaweybridge]

I spent quite a lot of time photographing and chatting to her in the early 2000's when she was very involved in karting.

Of course she was Susie Stoddart back then.

I always found her very approachable and pleasant.

I wish her well for the future wherever it takes her.

[mountainstar]

It's sad magazines like Autosport have to waste space to report stories like this. This is a total non event of a driver that took up valuable seats at teams and who never won anything or even came close.

I guess we will miss excited commentators screaming "And it's Susie Wolff challenging for 19th place!".

[m355y]

Originally Posted by Razzzor

Simona is one of the best open wheel female drivers in recent history. Is she good enough for F1? Not a chance, imo. Not someone who's never won any championship and only one 6 car races in their life.

Even if you compare to some of the drivers in F1 that some think are wasting a seat....

Maldonado, pretty dominant 2009 GP2 champion beating guys like Perez, Bianchi, Bird... Rapax wasn't necessarily the best team that year.

Gutiérrez, pretty straightforward 2010 GP3 champion, 3rd in gp2 2 years later.

Erricson, less illustrious record with only 2 early championships. Probably there on money alone anyway.

Don't mean to put down Simona, she's had some great races Indycar, but I don't see her being F1 material.

When it comes to Susie, I hadn't looked at her record but gosh like someone said, she's never won a race. No fls, poles, only 4 podiums in her life. The fact she's even a test driver is a pretty amazing achievement considering her record.

If any female makes it to F1, and I'm sure they will, I would like it to be on merit and not because everyone wants to see a female in F1, equal rights, marketing opportunities (like Danica).

Anyway, she seems a lovely lady so all the best to her.

De Silvestro has the ability to at least compete. Sure she's not F1 World Champion or even race winning material, but her IndyCar record stands up fairly well to scrutiny - inconsistent, but able to pop up at the front especially on street courses. If Susie Wolff was an IndyCar driver would she have been able to get podiums even occasionally? Nope, she would have been battling at the back as she did in every category since Formula Ford.

Someone like De Silvestro would be relatively competitive in that she wouldn't be massively, massively off the pace at the back - and surely that would open the door big time to others?

At the moment you've got Christina Neilsen and Jamie Chadwick in GT racing, both very young and both beginning to show serious speed. Not saying either will ever get to F1 but if there's more where they came from then one day it will happen.

Susie Stoddart would never have got anywhere near an F1 car. Susie Wolff did though. I wonder why.

[bella]

Originally Posted by m355y

Susie Stoddart would never have got anywhere near an F1 car. Susie Wolff did though. I wonder why.

yes because connections NEVER opened doors for any male drivers, ever....

[Paradise City]

Well, it certainly has never followed that the mere fact of appearing on an F1 grid must be the result of merit.

As long as the sport is expensive, paid drivers will be part of that landscape and otherwise deserving hotshots will miss their chances in lieu of cash and commercial support.

Now, I think she's marginal character even in light of what I said above. But I don't think she undeserving of a little snippet in the trade press, to mark the retirement of the first woman to have run on an official race weekend in twenty plus years.

[bella]

Originally Posted by Paradise City

As long as the sport is expensive, paid drivers will be part of that landscape and otherwise deserving hotshots will miss their chances in lieu of cash and commercial support.

that'll happen if the sport was cheap to compete in too. you can be as talented as you want but if you fail the interview because you're a prat or you've got no idea how to use your talent then you're not going to get a top job.

[m355y]

Originally Posted by bella

yes because connections NEVER opened doors for any male drivers, ever....

Yeah, and you'd say exactly the same about them.

[bella]

it's fair play as far as i can see, and if anyone says they've not used their own contacts to get them into a work situation they wouldn't have been in otherwise they're not being truthful.

a bit annoying when someone pulls that line over you in the real world, but it always goes both ways.

[Paradise City]

Originally Posted by bella

that'll happen if the sport was cheap to compete in too. you can be as talented as you want but if you fail the interview because you're a prat or you've got no idea how to use your talent then you're not going to get a top job.

If you are a palpable winner, rudeness will be overlooked. If you can't apply your talent, then your talent is incomplete and you fail on merit.

[Jimmy Magnusson]

Originally Posted by bella

yes because connections NEVER opened doors for any male drivers, ever....

Hey, you leave Giedo out of this!

This will be a talking point until it's not. It's like some people who thought Hamilton got pushed to F1 because he was black, and there'd never (essentially) been a black driver in F1 before. And as soon as he showed he had what it took, everyone who wasn't completely bonkers forgot all about it and he's just Hamilton, and people talk about Hamilton - not "that black racing driver who's sort of decent".

It'll be the same with a female F1 driver. Sub-par drivers will be (and have been) pushed because of their unique selling point, and while none have had enough so far they'll hopefully inspire others. And eventually there'll be a proper super star, and we can forget all about this nonsense.