Did Lewis Hamilton and Susie Wolff ever compete during their junior careers? All about the racing history of the 7x F1 champ and the F1 Academy chief

F1 Academy Managing Director, Susie Wolff, and Lewis Hamilton have shared several moments when the seven-time champion was at Mercedes. But the pair go long back to their junior racing days as both hail from the United Kingdom.

Both Wolff and Hamilton began karting before turning 10. The pair were known for their pace in the karting competitions, and their paths crossed within a few months of each other as they both started taking part in various racing events across the nation.

So, from the young age of eight, Wolff and Hamilton had known each other and had been rivals on track. But, due to the Stevenage-born driver's impressive pace, he was able to transition to open-wheel race cars earlier, as he started in the Formula Renault championship in 2001.

Wolff soon followed in this path and became a driver in the series in the subsequent year. During their two years competing in the feeder series, Hamilton remained with Manor Motorsport while the female driver first raced for Team DFR in 2002 before moving over to Motaworld Racing in 2003.

The future F1 driver finished third in the championship standings in 2002 and took the drivers' crown himself in 2003. Moreover, while Hamilton claimed 13 race wins in this time, Wolff was only able to claim a solitary podium in their time as rivals on the grid.

Though Lewis Hamilton had outrightly beaten Susie Wolff in the results, the latter's sole podium also had a backstory to it, as she revealed in 2020 (via BBC):

"We've known each from the age of eight. We competed against each other in go-karting then into Formula Renault. There was a race when we both finished on the podium. He was first, I was third. He was about 19, I was 21. I couldn't open my champagne bottle and he came over and did it for me. He'd had a lot more practice than I had."

This is the instance that Susie Wolff is referring to, which took place at the 11th round of the championship at Snetterton Circuit:

After the 2003 Formula Renault championship, Lewis Hamilton moved on in his journey to F1 as he took the step up to F3 in the following year.

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Susie Wolff once opened up about Lewis Hamilton's progress in the racing realm since their karting days

Lewis Hamilton (L) and Susie Wolff (R) at the 2023 United States Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Lewis Hamilton and Susie Wolff's long-standing friendship has been one of the most remarkable ones in the F1 sphere. The pair began out racing in their young days and eventually made it to the top league, though in differing roles.

So, when asked about what the relationship with Hamilton means to her, she replied on The Red Flags podcast in 2021:

"The relationship with Lewis means a lot because we often talk about the karting days, and obviously our families were close because it was a very tight-knit community when we karted.

The 42-year-old then added about Lewis Hamilton's growth in the racing field from when they first started racing each other:

"I remember even at the age of eight, how he was outstanding and to watch what he's achieved... he works incredibly hard off track at every aspect of his life and he's absolutely dedicated to being the best racing driver he can be."

Meanwhile, both Lewis Hamilton and Susie Wolff continue to be revered figures in the motorsport world and are spotted in the paddock together every once in a while.

Edited by Geetansh Pasricha