Quotes from Susie Wolff

I never really thought about being a woman in a man's world. Then at the World Championships in 2000 I finished 15th. I was called on to the podium just for being a woman, and I realised things were going to be different.

I'm a realistic person, but I'm also a person who believes a lot in goals.

I'm very ambitious but realistic.

I think from a driving perspective, the great thing of being in a simulator a lot is that you can constantly work on areas. Of course it's not like being in a real car, and you always have to remember that, but it means there are all these things that you can work on.

There was very little opportunity to carry on in Formula 1. My goal was to get on to the starting grid and that didn't look achievable.

I am someone that relies on my gut feeling.

You need to get female talent which is good enough to compete at the right level because no team is going to compromise on on-track performance just to tick a gender box.

I hated reading - I was not a 'good kid' - but I was determined when I put my mind to something.

Ultimately, when you're out on track with your helmet on, nobody can see the driver. Nobody can judge you on what you look like if your hair is long or short, if you're black or you're white, if you're male or female. All that matters is your performance.

We are going to have to go through generations of change before we see the impact of females taking a role in the workplace and Formula 1 is no different.

The decision to retire was very easy. The timing had come to the point where it was very clear that my time was up.

I have to perform every time I'm in the car, and show that I'm capable, and I need a little bit of timing and luck to come together.

As a woman people judge you on your looks regardless of the fact you're just there to race.

I started racing at club level, then the Scottish championship, then the British championship, then the European, then the Worlds. I went through all the various ranks. I spent a good ten years doing karting.

When a sport comes down to physical power, then it definitely needs to be split between men and women, but motor racing is a little bit like horse riding where we fight with the same tools. I believe that motor racing is a sport where women can take on men.

Ultimately, we have got to make our sport more diverse if we want to be relevant in the future.

As a racing driver, you're representing a brand and your appearance is part of your job. But there's a fine line between being feminine and creating attention on yourself because of what you're wearing.

My big break came at 22 years old when I joined the Mercedes Benz touring championship team.

One of the whole reasons for starting my initiative, Dare to be Different, is about getting more girls interested in motorsport and that's everywhere, not just driving on track but creating a network where they have the support around them.

I dared to be different, I want to inspire others to do the same.

I never let my gender define me but in my whole driving career I only ever did one interview not being asked about being a female.

Sir Stirling Moss, who said that women don't have the mental aptitude to take part in F1, is from a different generation. There's no reason why women can't rise to the top in F1. If you're not good enough you don't survive.

Your gender becomes irrelevant when you are in a performance-based environment.

If there's 10,000 little boys racing around the world and there's only 10 girls, best case 100, the numbers are stacked massively against us. If you don't increase the talent pool of young girls, you're not going to get the best drivers at the top.