Susie Wolff has announced her retirement from competitive motor sport after four years with Williams.
During that time she held various roles, latterly as an official test driver. She drove in several FP1 sessions, becoming the first woman to appear on a GP weekend since 1992, but her dream of racing at the top level remained out of reach. He final outing will be in the upcoming Race of Champions.
It remains to be seen whether she is making room for a replacement, although well-financed F3 man Lance Stroll has been linked with Williams. Meanwhile Alex Lynn is expected to have an enhanced role with the team.
“I’d like to thank Williams for the opportunity they have given me over the last few years which has allowed me to achieve my dream of driving a Formula 1 car,” said Wolff. “It has been great to work with everyone at the team, both at Grove and trackside, and I’d like to thank everyone who has been part of my journey at Williams. I am now closing this chapter but looking forward to new challenges in the future.”
Claire Williams said: “Her feedback and knowledge of the car has been an important part our recent development and we will be sorry to see her go. We want to thank her for all her efforts and wish her the very best for her future endeavours. We will of course be supporting both Susie and Felipe at the Race of Champions, and hope Susie has a great weekend to mark the last time we see her race.”
Adam Cooper's F1 Blog 
Such a shame. Susie showed herself to be competetive when given the chance to run in FP1 sessions and she is a dream for sponsors – unique in the sport and very well spoken when speaking to media representing the team. I can’t believe she couldn’t get a few outings as a race driver – probably another victim of the paying drivers.
Oh rubbish. Her dream was only ever a delusion.
She was never there on the merits of her driving ability.
Which is why her times were competitive compared with Massa? Which is why she managed to score points in a two-year old car in DTM, and regularly bead David Coulthard in the same series? Yeah, an utter delusion right enough.
Dave, she was never anywhere near Massa in a competitive session in equal machinery, and she was hardly a regular points finisher in a couple of years of DTM … most of the time she wasn’t even at the back, she was off the back … much like the Manor’s in F1.
She’s achieved things most would love to and if she’s encouraged a woman to take up racing who is good enough to earn a place in F1 then she’s left a great legacy. This week’s female Melbourne Cup winning jockey proves that women can compete in a somewhat a similar sport – it’s just encouraging enough to do so.
Purely as a driver though – she’s never finished above 5th in any championship and never won a race. In 7 years (in an older car) she scored points twice in DTM and obviously didn’t show enough to be promoted to a current car. A quick look at FP1 practice times (and positions) from Mexico shows how little they mean.
Yes, F1 has pay drivers but all, without exception, have superior pedigrees in junior formulae. Also, she’s not raced competitively for 3 years and wouldn’t be eligible for a super-license from next season.
Leaving aside all the other arguments, considering the only person in recent years to jump from DTM to F1 was a champion in the former, who also happened to beat Vettel in F3 (di Resta),it’s hardly surprising that Wolff’s two 7th places haven’t been sufficient for her to progress.
There’s been plenty of very very good DTM drivers in F1 who never quite managed to make F1 (Paffett for one) and it’s been more of a flow in the opposite direction of racers reaching the end of their F1 career (either self-imposed or forced) who want a bit of fun driving in DTM, so really there’s no logical reason why Wolff should have got a full F1 drive.