The fastest woman in the world: Meet the Scotswoman who is tipped to be the first British female to race in Formula One
- Test driver Susie Wolff will appear in a BBC documentary about her life as the only female in Formula One
- Divina Galica was the last British woman driver to compete in the sport in 1978, but she failed to qualify for South American race
- Susie became the only female F1 driver last year after Spanish test driver Maria de Villota lost her right eye and left the sport following a crash in July
- American Danica Patrick becomes the first woman to take pole position at the Daytona 500 this weekend
By TONI JONES
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Scottish female racing driver Susie Wolff has announced that she will appear in a BBC documentary this spring about her life as the only woman in F1
Formula One female test driver Susie Wolff has announced that she will appear in a BBC documentary this spring about her life as the only woman in F1.
30-year-old Susie, from Oban, Argyll, is tipped to become the only female racing driver in the sport and the film, The Fastest Woman In The World, follows her life and career as a test driver.
Directed by her BAFTA-nominated brother David Stoddart, 31, the film also features appearances from Formula One race ace Lewis Hamilton and racing legend David Coulthard.
Susie, who is a developmental driver for the Williams F1 team began go-karting when she was eight and now lives in Switzerland with her husband, Austrian racing driver Toto Wolff.
She said: 'Shooting the film was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I’m a fairly private person, so to have my brother follow me for nine months, through some pretty difficult times - let’s just say it was a big challenge.'
David said: 'It was tough combining the role of documentary maker and brother. I had to remind myself that I was there to film Susie's story, but during the more difficult moments my instinct as a brother kicked in.
'It was challenging at times to strike the balance, but it's a great story that needed to be told.'
He added: 'Susie was very open and honest, and I’m enormously grateful to her for that, and for giving me a rare glimpse into life in Formula One.'
Other names to have driven for Williams in the past include Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill and Jenson Button.
Susie said: 'I don't race to prove how good women can be against men. I race because it’s my passion and I hope this documentary will give an insight into a very competitive world, in which I’ve been racing since I was a young girl.'
Susie is currently the only female driver in the sport and the film, directed by her brother and BAFTA-winning film maker, David, will follow her career in the traditionally male-dominated industry
30-year-old Susie, who is married to Austrian racing driver Toto Wolff, is a developmental driver for the Williams F1 team
She revealed the news at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain where she joined her Williams F1 teammates to launch Williams 2013 race car, the FW35
As a test driver Susie is currently the only female driver in the sport after Spaniard Maria de Villota lost her right eye in a testing crash in July 2012.
Speaking to the BBC as she drove a 2011 Williams race car at Silverstone following the accident Susie said: 'She told me to drive for us both now, that I would be out there representing us both.
'I had Maria's star on my helmet. It's with pride I have that and without doubt I was driving for the two of us.'
She added: 'She is an incredible lady. Before you even talk about her as a racing driver, she is an incredible person, an inspiration.
'After the publicity surrounding Maria's accident without doubt I felt an extra need to go out there, do a good job and show that her accident was a freak one-off and it doesn't generalise women in motorsport.'
Only five women have ever competed in Formula One, including Brit Divina Galica who failed to qualify for the opening two South American races in the 1978 competition.
The last female to compete was Italian Giovanna Amati in 1992.
Susie became the only female F1 driver after test driver Spaniard Maria de Villota lost her right eye in a testing crash in July 2012
Susie said, 'I don't race to prove how good women can be against men. I race because it's my passion,'
ACROSS THE POND DANICA PATRICK IS ANOTHER WOMAN MAKING HISTORY
30-year-old Danica Patrick is the first woman to take pole position for the Daytona 500 race
American Nascar driver Danica Patrick becomes the first woman to take pole position for the Daytona 500 race this week.
30-year-old Danica will also be the first woman to take pole in any Nascar top division event as she starts on the front row on Sunday for Nascar's most prestigious race.
This is the latest in a long line of achievements for one of the most prominent women in motorsport.
Patrick posted a qualifying lap of 196.4mph in her number 10 Chevrolet, completing the 2.5mile-long route at the Florida superspeedway in 45.817 seconds on Sunday.
She will line up alongside four-time Nascar champion Jeff Gordon on the front row of the grid this Sunday, for the first race in the 2013 Sprint Cup Series.
The Daytona 500 is the series' most prestigious race - considered to be Nascar's equivalent of the Super Bowl.
Before making the switch to Nascar, Patrick raced in the IndyCar series.
Her Indy Japan 300 win in April 2008 made her the only woman so far to win an IndyCar race.
In 2005 she was voted Rookie of the Year at the Indy500 after finishing fourth in the race.
By 2009, she recorded the highest finish by a woman at the Indy500 when she finished third behind Helio Castroneves and the late Dan Wheldon.
Sir Richard Branson tried and failed to woo her to Formula 1 to join his Virgin Racing team for the 2010 season. She was due to test for a seat at Honda F1 in 2008 before the team pulled out of the sport.
The previous qualifying records for a female driver were held by Janet Guthrie.
She qualified ninth in two 1977 races and 18th for the 1980 Daytona 500.
Danica Patrick exits her vehicle after her Daytona 500 pole position-securing run during qualifying at Daytona Beach in Florida
VIDEO: Susie Wolff puts Williams FW33 through its paces at Silverstone circuit. Oct 2012
‘The Fastest Woman in the World’ will premiere on BBC2 Scotland in spring
For further information visit: www.facebook.com/DrivenTheFastestWoman
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2281580/Susie-Wolff-tipped-British-female-race-Formula-One.html#ixzz2LUOMlyb5
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