Susie Wolff says her pace justifies Williams Formula 1 test chance
Susie Wolff believes her pace on her debut in a contemporary Formula 1 car in the Silverstone young driver test justifies Williams's decision to give her a day of running

The ex-DTM racer, who is a Williams development driver and previously tested a 2011 car at Silverstone last October, had aimed to break the 1m35s barrier and ended up with time less than a tenth away.
This compared well to fellow Williams tester Daniel Juncadella, who logged a time of 1m34.631s on Wednesday morning.
"I had a fantastic chance from the team, they took the chance to put me in the car today," said Wolff.
"Many people said they were crazy, [asking] why were they wasting a day on me and they took that chance.
"I was happy that I could do a good job and pay them back for that.
"I saw what he [Juncadella] had done and the team were quite impressed with that so that was my goal.
"I was only four-tenths off a Formula 3 European champion, the guy who is rated as an up-and-coming young star, for me that was really important."
Wolff's lap came on her fourth lap on a run on medium rubber, meaning that she is confident her headline pace would have been stronger given another run on fresh tyres.
"With the medium tyre, it's quite difficult to get the fronts and the rears in at the same time," she said.
"I struggled quite a bit with the fronts on my first flying lap and then when the fronts were in the rears were already starting to go.
"I did my quickest lap on the fourth lap, which is not how to get the best out of a tyre.
"There was more potential there, definitely."
Wolff insists that she was always confident she had the ability to deliver a strong performance in the test.
'PROVING CRITICS WRONG'
She added that the lack of competitive machinery in the DTM, where she competed for Mercedes from 2006-12 with a best finish of seventh, has possibly led to people writing her off.
"I always said I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think it was possible," she said. "I believe in myself.
"After such a tough end to my DTM career, many people presumed that I was just always at the back and just wasn't quick enough.
"Today can show possibly that is an unfair judgement.
"DTM is difficult to get in the right position to be in a winning car and I was never in that position, so for me [today] was about going out there and showing what I can do."

Previous article
Hungarian GP preview quotes: Marussia
Next article
Daniil Kvyat convinced of Formula 1 capability in Toro Rosso test

About this article
Series | Formula 1 |
Drivers | Susie Wolff |
Teams | Williams |
Author | Edd Straw |
Susie Wolff says her pace justifies Williams Formula 1 test chance
Trending
Starting Grid for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix
F1 Fast Facts: Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
The back-bedroom world-beater that began a new F1 era
The first in a line of world beaters was designed in a back bedroom and then constructed in a shed. STUART CODLING recalls the Tyrrell 001
The clues Hamilton’s F1 contract afterthought gives to his future
The Formula 1 world reacted with surprise when it learned Lewis Hamilton’s long-awaited new Mercedes deal guarantees his presence on the grid only until the end of 2021. Both parties claimed publicly they were happy with the arrangement but, asks MARK GALLAGHER, is there more to it than that?
How a harshly ejected Red Bull star has been hooked by racing again
Driver-turned-DJ Jaime Alguersuari lost his love for motorsport when he was booted out of Formula 1 just as he was starting to polish his rough edges. Having drifted from category to category then turned his back on racing altogether in 2015, he’s come full circle and is planning a return in karts for fun
Why Mercedes isn't confident it's really ahead of Red Bull at Imola
While Mercedes struck back against Red Bull by topping the times at Imola on Friday ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, the overall picture remains incredibly close. Despite having a possible edge this weekend, the reigning Formula 1 world champion squad is not taking anything for granted...
What Mercedes must do to keep its F1 title challenge on track
Mercedes may find itself leading the drivers' and constructors' standings after Lewis Hamilton's victory in the Bahrain Grand Prix, but it is well-aware that it came against the odds, with Red Bull clearly ahead on pace. Here's what the Brackley team must do to avoid its crown slipping
Why Tsunoda can become Japan’s greatest F1 talent
While Japan's fever for motor racing is well-documented, the country has yet to produce a Formula 1 superstar – but that could be about to change, says BEN EDWARDS
Why the demise of F1's hypocritical spending habit is cause for celebration
For too long, F1's richest teams have justified being able to spend as much as they want because that's the way they've always conducted their business. STUART CODLING says that's no reason not to kick a bad habit
The double whammy that is defining Vettel’s F1 fate
It's been a tough start to Sebastian Vettel's Aston Martin F1 career, with a lack of pre-season testing mileage followed by an incident-packed Bahrain GP. But two key underlying factors mean a turnaround is not guaranteed