Mercedes anger revealed after F1 star's name change

A former Mercedes racer has revealed the displeasure of the team's marketing department after she had changed her name.

Susie Wolff - then Stoddart - was racing with Mercedes-Benz in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, a series that she competed in between 2006-2012, when she married Toto Wolff in 2011.

Toto would go on to become Mercedes F1 team principal in 2013, while Susie was snapped up by Williams F1 to become a development driver, later competing in four grands prix weekends with the team.

Wolff became the first female racer for 22 years to compete in an official timed session in F1 when she took to the track for Williams at the 2014 British Grand Prix, before also competing in that season's German GP FP1, and Wolff was later given a promotion to become a test driver with the team.

Two further practice sessions at the 2015 Spanish GP and 2015 British GP would follow, before she retired from all forms of racing at the end of 2015.

Since then, Wolff has helped further the careers of many young female racers, and became the managing director of F1 Academy in 2023, an all-female racing series which seeks to offer opportunities to drivers to excel in single-seater racing.

Now, Wolff has revealed the moment in 2011 in which she told Mercedes that she would be changing her name from Stoddart to Wolff, and the reaction that the Mercedes marketing team gave her at the time.

"'You can’t change your name, you’re the strong woman.' 'No, no, no, no. I’m not on my own any more, I’m a Wolff,'" she explained to the Sunday Times.

"'I’ve got someone on my side who’s part of my team,'" Wolff revealed she told them in response.

Wolff's incredible legacy

While engine issues ended Wolff's 2014 British GP practice after just one lap, she later went on to drive in a free practice session at the German GP, finishing 15th and only 0.227 seconds behind team-mate Felipe Massa.

Her 2015 British GP return was even better, with the Scot finishing 13th out of 20 cars around the classic Silverstone circuit.

Wolff had previously excelled in Formula Renault in her early racing career, finishing ninth in the series during the season that Lewis Hamilton won the championship, in 2003.

Wolff recently revealed a time that she shared the podium with the seven-time F1 world champion in that particular season, with the pair going on to become close friends throughout their respective careers in motorsport.

Following her retirement from racing, Wolff founded 'Dare to Be Different' in 2016, an organisation that aims to inspire and empower the next generation of female talent and bring more women into motorsport.

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