After a promising test at Silverstone last year, Scottish racing driver Susie Wolff will see her role as development driver for the Williams Formula One team expanded in 2014.
Wolff will participate in two Friday Practice 1 (FP1) sessions in the team's new FW36 at the British and German Grands Prix. The 31-year-old's scheduled race weekend appearance will be the first for a female driver since Italian Giovanna Amati in 1992.
Twice nominated for the British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC) Young Driver of the Year award, Wolff joined the British outfit in 2012 after six years racing German touring cars at the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM). Before that she has raced in Formula Renault and Formula Three.
According to Williams chief technical officer Pat Symonds, Wolff was a valuable addition to the team's driver lineup, which also includes new recruit Felipe Massa.
"Susie has demonstrated a natural talent for developing a car and providing strong feedback and these sort of characteristics will be key this season as teams seek to quickly understand and refine the radically overhauled 2014 cars," said Symonds.
Wolff said that she is grateful for the team's support and belief in her, adding that this year will be a "very important milestone" in her career.
"Competing in two FP1 sessions, alongside an additional full test day this season will be a big step and I am looking forward to the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the FW36 on a Grand Prix weekend," Wolff said.
Susie Wolff is the latest in a series of female racing drivers who are trying to break into the male-dominated world of Formula One. Earlier this month, 25-year-old Swiss driver Simona de Silvestro joined the Sauber F1 Team as an "affiliated driver", with the aim of racing next year.
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