“It’s a little bit sad that it’s always Lewis Hamilton": When F1 Academy head lamented a lack of support from the paddock
In 2023, F1 Academy Managing Director Susie Wolff claimed it was a "little bit sad" that only Lewis Hamilton turned up to support various issues such as promoting diversity and having female drivers on the grid. Susie, the wife of Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff and a former Williams F1 reserve driver was appointed as the head of the F1 Academy series in 2023.
The sport has been pushing hard to promote racing with women after the W Series was shut down a few years ago. The F1 Academy sees some of the best female racing drivers from the world compete for the title in their journey to potentially racing at the pinnacle of motorsport.
While speaking with Sky Sports in 2023, Susie Wolff pointed out that she was concerned about the lack of support for female racing from F1 teams given only Lewis Hamilton showed up, saying (as quoted by RacingNews365):
"It's a little bit sad that it is always Lewis. He is always the one coming over, offering support, and in the end, he also knows what it's like to be 'the only one' so he has an affinity. But there's going to be the 10 F1 teams with their own liveries, so I expect a lot more interaction from the F1 teams generally next season because they have the platforms, they have the voices."
"That will be something which will be hugely helpful in our quest because this is not a short-term project. If we want to see success, it's got to be long-term."
Lewis Hamilton and Susie Wolff share a friendly and respectful bond away from the track and have spoken in support of each other.
Lewis Hamilton stood in solidarity with Susie Wolff on her row with FIA
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton previously said he was "incredibly proud" of Susie Wolff as the latter filed a criminal complaint against FIA after the governing body alleged that she had breached confidentiality in March 2024.
As reported by Sky Sports, the FIA claimed that one of the teams on the grid told Business F1 magazine that Toto Wolff was getting insider information about the sport from his wife, given she directly reports to F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.
After the FIA withdrew the investigation, Wolff filed a criminal complaint against the body. Voicing his support for Susie during a press conference in Australia this year, Lewis Hamilton said (as quoted by Sky Sports):
"Firstly, I'm incredibly proud of Susie," Hamilton said. "I think she's so brave and she stands for such great values. She's such a leader, and in a world where often people are silenced, for her to be standing up sends such a great message."
"And I love that she's taken it out of this world - fighting it from outside because there is a real lack of accountability here within this sport, within the FIA, things that are happening behind closed doors. So hopefully this stand that she's taken now will create change, will have a positive impact, and especially for women."
There has been no public update provided regarding Wolff's criminal complaint against the FIA ever since the start of the 2024 season.