Susie Wolff Becomes First Female F1 Driver; 5 Things to Know About Her

Scottish racing driver Susie Wolff is set to become the first woman driver to participate in the British Grand Prix after 22 years.

The 31-year-old driver will replace Valtteri Bottas for her first practice at the said grand prix, Reuters indicated in a report.

The practice will be a 90-minute session, which according to Wolff, is something that she's been preparing for in a long time.

Reuters added that there are no plans to race drive but that the female driver is out to prove that there should be no barriers for women who are also aspiring to become grand prix drivers.

"It's not a man's world any more. It just needs to be shown that women can compete at that level and then you'll get more and more entering," Wolff told BBC.

BBC noted that the last woman to race in a world championship F1 grand prix was Lella Lombardi of Italy way back in 1976 while another Italian, Giovanna Amati, also tried but failed to qualify in the grand prix in 1992.

Deputy team principal Claire Williams told Reuters in an interview that it will be a "really big day" for Wolff. 

"She goes out there with her peers in a competitive situation. Yes we are doing a lot of setup work over long runs with heavy fuel loads and stuff but I still think you will be able to judge her more than you have been able to in the past," Williams added.

The team principal added that it would be "really cool" so see Wolff in a Formula One car.

Aside from being a skilled and talented racer, here are some things that you still need to know about the female driver:

* Wolff is the wife of Mercedes motorsport head Toto, who according to Reuters, is also a Williams shareholder. She made her test debut last year for the team at Silverstone.

* She won the 24hr Middle East Kart Championship and Scottish Junior International title in 1997, ESPN noted.

* She was named the British Woman Kart racing driver four years in a row and was awarded the top female Kart driver in 2000, ESPN added.

* She finished fifth with three poidums during the Formula renault UK championship in 2004.

* In 2010, she finished 13th in the championship in a 2008-spec car, added ESPN.

In an interview with BBC Sport, Wolff said that she would not be doing such thing if she didn't think it was possible.

"You have to fight hard to get into F1 and be ready when the chance comes but I believe it will happen soon," she added.