Susie Wolff on F1's Future: Inside PepsiCo's billion dollar partnership

Key Concepts

• F1 Academy: An all-female racing series designed to create a pathway for young women to reach the highest levels of motorsport.
• Performance Science: The application of specialized physiological research (hydration, nutrition, and physical training) tailored specifically to female athletes.
• Growth Driver: The strategic view that investing in women’s sports is a high-value business opportunity rather than a charitable initiative.
• Authentic Partnership: A collaborative model where sponsors provide more than just funding, contributing research, resources, and expertise to improve athlete performance.
• Gender-Specific Sports Science: The recognition that female athletes have different physiological needs (e.g., 30% less muscle mass, different hydration requirements) compared to men, challenging the industry standard of generalizing male-centric data.

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1. F1 Academy: Mission and Evolution

Susie Wolff, Managing Director of F1 Academy, describes the series as a platform to create opportunities for young female drivers.

• The Goal: To provide a clear, funded pathway for women to climb the motorsport ladder, with the ultimate ambition of seeing a woman compete in Formula 1.
• Progress: Despite being in only its fourth year, the series has gained significant momentum through support from F1 management, all F1 teams, and high-profile brand partners.
• Financial Accessibility: Motorsport is historically expensive; F1 Academy addresses this by nearly fully funding its drivers, lowering the financial barrier to entry.
• Market Context: F1’s global fan base is now 42% female, with the 18–24 age demographic being the fastest-growing segment.

2. Strategic Partnership: PepsiCo/Gatorade and F1 Academy

Jane Wakeley, EVP and Chief Consumer and Marketing Officer at PepsiCo, highlights the partnership as a core growth strategy rather than a side project.

• The Gatorade Connection: Gatorade sponsors specific drivers (e.g., Lia Block/Lisa Billiard) and provides access to the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI).
• Scientific Support: Drivers lose 2–4 liters of fluid during a race. GSSI works with drivers to create personalized hydration and nutrition regimes to ensure peak physical performance.
• Addressing the Data Gap: Wakeley notes that historically, 94% of sports science research has been conducted on men. The partnership aims to bridge this gap by conducting research specifically on women across different life stages.

3. Business Perspectives and Metrics

• Growth Strategy: Wakeley emphasizes that women’s sports are "on fire." She cites a specific business insight: women currently have 20% lower consumption of Gatorade than men, representing a significant growth opportunity for the brand.
• Authenticity: Both Wolff and Wakeley stress that partnerships must be authentic. They look for drivers and brands willing to put in the work—such as spending a week at the GSSI—rather than just engaging in superficial sponsorship.
• Portfolio Management: Regarding PepsiCo’s broader business, Wakeley explains that the company is pivoting its portfolio to meet shifting consumer needs, such as the high demand for protein-focused snacks (e.g., Doritos Protein), while still serving traditional consumer preferences.

4. Notable Quotes

• Susie Wolff on the necessity of the series: "We don't expect us as the female arm within Formula 1 for it to be a charity project. It needs to make sense. We need to build a platform that works for our partners."
• Jane Wakeley on the gender gap in research: "Only 6% of the world's science for sports and hydration is actually done on men. And Susie said women are not men. You know, women are not little men."
• Susie Wolff on the future of women in F1: "A door shouldn't be opened or an opportunity given just because it's a woman, but we will find a young girl that's going to be talented enough."

5. Synthesis and Conclusion

The discussion underscores a pivotal shift in both motorsport and corporate marketing. F1 Academy is successfully professionalizing the path for female drivers by combining high-level racing exposure with rigorous, gender-specific sports science. Simultaneously, major corporations like PepsiCo are moving beyond traditional sponsorship models, treating women’s sports as a critical "growth driver" backed by data and scientific research. The long-term success of this initiative relies on maintaining sporting credibility and authenticity, ensuring that female drivers are judged on talent while being provided the specialized tools necessary to compete at the highest level.