Susie Wolff: “Fred Vasseur was the first to support the F1 Academy, Toto doubted it”. The F1 Academy saw a considerable increase in viewership in 2024.

The F1 Academy saw a considerable increase in viewership in 2024 thanks to a new strategy implemented by Susie Wolff: asking Formula 1 teams to feature their liveries on the cars, sponsor at least one driver, and include her in their academies. This approach made it easier for fans to support a team and, consequently, the driver representing its colors. However, getting all 10 team principals to agree was no simple task, especially since funding was also needed. Nevertheless, the managing director of the category executed a winning strategy.

“I told the team principals not to see me as a woman creating a bubble populated by other women. I proposed an initiative aimed at benefiting the entire sport, and I needed their contribution. Everyone supported me, and this helped the category grow. When I told Toto that I wanted to seek the support of all the teams, he said I would never succeed. I tried, and I managed to convince Ferrari; Fred was the first to believe in the project, and then Christian [Horner, ed.] also agreed. When I told Toto that both Ferrari and Red Bull had accepted, Mercedes joined as well. It took me months because getting everyone to sign the same document was a challenge, but I thank my tenacity,” explained Susie Wolff on *The Red Flags Podcast*.

The same episode also featured Gunther Steiner, who shared his perspective: “The head of communications at Haas had told me about the F1 Academy, and I immediately took it seriously because I understood the importance of the matter. You have no idea how many ridiculous ideas are proposed to team principals, but this one had solid foundations, and if you don’t start, you go nowhere.” – the former Haas team boss concluded.