Quote · Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard
Susie Wolff (Managing Director of F1 Academy)
Where this was said
What F1 Academy Is, Where It Came From, and the Fan Demographic Shift
At 1:23:04 · chapter starts 1:22:30
Dax admits he only got into Formula 1 because of Drive to Survive, which reframed the sport from boring to a 'science fair with drama.' The female fan demographic had shifted massively. Liberty and Stefano Domenicali recognised the opportunity: create a funded pathway for female talent. Susie is clear that F1 Academy is the only race series in the world where over 80% of driver costs are covered — roughly €500,000 per driver per season. She also notes the philosophical complexity: does an all-female series represent progress or a step backwards? She distinguishes F1 Academy from the failed W Series by pointing to its backing: F1 teams, Liberty Media investment, and a sustainable commercial model.
When F1 Academy launched, each driver was expected to find €150,000 of their own sponsorship — a requirement that proved immediately unworkable and nearly collapsed the series.
F1 Academy originally split costs three ways: driver, team, Liberty Media. The driver third was €150,000 nobody could raise. Susie scrapped the model, brought all 10 F1 teams on board (including going to Christian Horner, Toto's rival, who came in quickly), got Sephora, American Express, LEGO and Pepsi as sponsors, and created the only race series in the world that funds over 80% of its drivers' costs.
