Susie Wolff interview: Venturi Racing team principal on life aboard the Formula E rollercoaster and why the electric series is set for more growth
Formula E is designed to have more thrills and spills than other motorsport competitions, but Susie Wolff could be forgiven for wishing her introduction to it had been less bumpy.
The former driver’s three years in the electric series has involved learning the ropes as a team principal at Venturi Racing, a change in ownership of the Leonardo DiCaprio co-founded outfit, plus the chaos caused by a pandemic that has impacted both this season and last.
And that is before taking into account the unpredictability of action on the track, where the six races so far in 2020-21 have produced five different winners.
“My goodness, there are a lot of ups and downs – Formula E is a rollercoaster,” she tells City A.M.
“There are so many variables in this championship that even if you perform and execute without any mistakes as a team, it can sometimes still not result in a top result.
“If I think of it being only my third season in Formula E I’m pretty shocked; it feels much longer than that.
“There was a lot that I wanted to achieve in this position. I’m on a good way but there’s still a lot left to achieve.”
Wolff and Venturi experienced a high at February’s first ePrix of the season in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, where Swiss driver Edoardo Mortara took second.
Formula E set for debut on full Monaco circuit
That represented the team’s first podium place since 2018-19, when they finished eighth. Last season Venturi came 10th of 12 teams. But for penalties, they would have had more podiums in Rome and Valencia last month.
This weekend the Monaco-based team will be seeking success on home turf, as Formula E races on a full-length Monte Carlo road race circuit similar, but not identical, to that used by Formula 1.
It’s another significant milestone for the series in its seventh season, now afforded world championship status by motorsport governing body the FIA.
“Coming to Monaco, it’s the jewel in the crown of the calendar,” says Wolff. “And of course these cars are capable of running on a bigger circuit than we’ve run in the past. Everybody wanted to see the evolution and the progress that the championship had made.
“Do I think we need to be on the exact same track as Formula 1? No. I’m glad there are a few little changes because I don’t think it’s about having a comparison.”
Wolff: Venturi takeover has made us stronger
Wolff, 38, says she is enjoying trading her previous life in the drivers’ seat of Formula 1, Formula 3 and DTM touring cars for team principal duties.
“When I was a driver, my performance was in my own hands. Once the lights went out it was up to me to perform, it was my name on the side of the car. This is much more of a team and I have to say I enjoy that much more.
“I enjoy the fact that I’ve had to learn so many different areas, more than just being competitive in a race car, the business elements of running the team.”
The commercial realities of operating in Formula E have been brought into sharp focus for Wolff in the last year.
Firstly, by Covid-19 keeping fans and sponsors away from the action, and then in December by the takeover of Venturi by American Scott Swid and Jose Maria Aznar Botella, son of the former prime minister of Spain and the brother-in-law of Formula E chairman Alejandro Agag.
“I think if anything it’s made it even stronger,” she says of the buyout’s effect on the team.
“There’s a very strong foundation, Gildo [Pallanca Pastor, founder] and myself, who are still involved in the running and management of the team, but we have some new shareholders who are very ambitious and in it for the long term.”
Formula E ‘like a young start-up’
Wolff believes motorsport is yet to “see the full potential of Formula E because of Covid”, but cites new contracts with free-to-air broadcasters – in the UK, the series is on BBC digital platforms as well as Eurosport – and the wider acceptance of electric vehicles among car buyers, that it is “all going in a very positive direction”.
The Scot is particularly enthusiastic about the prospect of a cost cap in Formula E, which is yet to be formalised but seems certain to be introduced.
“It’s changing the whole business model,” she says.
“We [Venturi] got bought out by Americans and they know what cost caps and salary caps are like. They immediately see the potential that the sport had with the introduction of a cost cap.
“Formula E is like a young start-up. It’s still got a lot of growth ahead.”
Aside from attracting new investment – and potentially new teams, such as McLaren – a cost cap keeps the sport competitive. That was one of the reasons for Wolff signing up, she says.
“You don’t want dominance of one team. And in the end the cost cap is something that turns our race teams into businesses. That can only be positive for the future of the sport.
“There’s that old saying in motorsport, which is definitely true: ‘The more you spend, the faster you go’. In this climate – and, if anything, Covid just sped up that momentum – it’s all about being efficient and not about spending all the money you can on the last hundredth of a second.
“It’s about creating sport that is on the cutting edge of technology but is also entertaining.”
Wolff excited by season climax in New York, London and Berlin
Formula 1 has succeeded in growing its appeal especially among younger fans, a trend attributed in part to Netflix series Drive To Survive.
Wolff, who is married to Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff, insists the rising tide can lift all boats.
“Well I’m in Formula E but I’m also a big Formula 1 fan, maybe for obvious reasons,” she says.
“I never compare Formula E with Formula 1 because I think they’re two completely different platforms.
“One is racing in city centres with electric technology, the other is 70 years old, has a huge history, and is the most technically advanced race cars in the world.
“I do believe both platforms can sit alongside each other; maybe not complement each other but they certainly shouldn’t be seen as being in competition with each other.”
Wolff is also enthused by an ending to the Formula E season that takes in three premium city locations.
After Monaco and a double-header in Mexico next month, the season concludes with races in New York, London and Berlin.
“We’re going to end in iconic cities which for me is a true pillar of what Formula E is,” she says.
“We go to racetracks like Valencia, but ultimately we race in city centres. We bring racing to the people.”
The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship will be racing at an adapted Circuit de Monaco with live coverage on BBC iPlayer, BBC Website and Eurosport 2 from 14:30 Saturday 8 May.