Susie Wolff appointed official test driver at Williams

Susie Wolff is to step up from her role as development driver at Williams to become the team's official test driver for 2015, with the 31-year-ol...

Susie Wolff is to step up from her role as development driver at Williams to become the team's official test driver for 2015, with the 31-year-old set to take part in two test sessions and two FP1 sessions across next season.

Wolff took part in two Friday practice session during the 2014 season. Her first outing, at the British Grand Prix, lasted just a handful of laps before she was sidelined by a technical failure but it made her the first woman to take part in a grand prix session for 22 years. She followed that up with a 22-lap run in FP1 at the German Grand Prix and she ended the 90 minutes with the morning's 15th fastest time.

"This is another step in the right direction for me, said Wolff of her new role. "I am delighted Williams are recognising my progression, hard work and that it is performance that counts. Williams is at a very exciting stage in its history and we are moving into 2015 with fantastic momentum, I’m proud to be part of the team. I’ll be using my position to work closely with Felipe and Valtteri to make sure that the FW37 builds on the strong performance shown by the FW36.”

Deputy Team Principal Claire Williams added; “We are delighted to have Susie continuing with the team next season in this new role. She continues to impress us with her strong technical knowledge, the feedback she delivers and the performance when she drives the car both on the track and in the simulator. She has steadily increased her time behind the wheel since she joined us in April 2012 and her appointment as official test driver was a natural progression."