Fabienne Wohlwend
Wohlwend in 2019
Nationality Liechtensteiner
Born (1997-11-07) 7 November 1997
Vaduz, Liechtenstein[1]
W Series
Years active2019, 2021–2022
TeamsBunker Racing
CortDAO W Series Team
Starts17
Wins0
Podiums3
Poles1
Fastest laps0
Best finish6th in 2019, 2021
Previous series
2016
2017
2017
2018–2020
2019
2021
2022–2023
2022		Formula 4 Italy
Audi Sport TT Cup
Ferrari Challenge Europe – Coppa Shell
Ferrari Challenge Europe – Trofeo Pirelli
VLN Series – Class V4
Nürburgring Endurance Series – Class VT2
Nürburgring Endurance Series – Class SP8T
Indian Racing League
Championship titles
2018Ferrari Challenge – Finali Mondiali (Pro-Am)

Fabienne Wohlwend (born 7 November 1997) is a racing driver from Liechtenstein who competed in the W Series.[2]

Biography

Formula 4

Wohlwend entered car racing in 2016, having been successful in junior karting in Liechtenstein and Switzerland. She debuted in the Italian F4 Championship with Aragón Racing, before a mid-season switch to DR Formula.[3][4] She failed to qualify for the final at the first round in Misano (the series ran a unique format for said round after 41 cars entered a circuit with a capacity of 36) and, after the qualifying race system was abandoned, did not score any points during the course of the season - her best finish being an 11th place in the final race of the season at Monza.[5] Being the only woman competing in that championship, she won the Women's Trophy class uncontested.[6]

Audi Sport TT Cup

She moved into sportscars for 2017, successfully applying for the Audi Sport TT Cup.[1] Her best result of 8th came in her first race in the category at the Hockenheimring, and the Liechtensteiner finished the season 11th in the standings.[7]

Ferrari Challenge

Wohlwend twinned her application to the Audi Sport TT Cup with a partial campaign in the Ferrari Challenge European Championship. Competing in the amateur-level Coppa Shell class, this campaign yielded more success; from her six races she would score two pole positions, four podiums and a race win at Imola – in the process becoming the first woman to win a race outright for the Ferrari marque.[8] Wohlwend also competed in the Ferrari Challenge season-ending Finali Mondiali at Mugello, finishing 3rd in the Coppa Shell class having benefitted from a controversial pass on Manuela Gostner.[9]

With the demise of the Audi TT Cup, Wohlwend remained in the Ferrari Challenge – however made the step up to the Pro-Am class of the Trofeo Pirelli division.[10] In a season plagued with inconsistency, she won three of the fourteen races – one at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps and both races at the Misano World Circuit – and finished second in the championship to Briton Chris Froggatt.[11] She returned to the Finali Mondiali event for 2018, and won the Pro-Am class of the Trofeo Pirelli race – becoming, on a technicality, the first female World Champion on four wheels.[12]

For 2019, Wohlwend again competed in the Trofeo Pirelli division of Ferrari Challenge, this time as a Pro driver. This campaign consisted of the Valencia, Imola and Mugello events – with a best result of 4th in the World Final.[13] She returned in 2020 for a planned full campaign, scoring pole position in the first race at Imola before suffering a fuel pump failure on the final lap.[14] In a reduced field due to the coronavirus, she maintained consistent appearances on the podium but race wins proved elusive – and eventually missed three races in two events due to mechanical problems.[15] She finally scored a win in the penultimate race of the season at Misano before following it up with a 2nd place in the Finali Mondiali – her third Finali podium in four attempts.[16]

W Series

Wohlwend (left) celebrates a podium finish in the 2021 W Series Silverstone round.

In 2019 she returned to open-wheel racing, having qualified for the W Series – a Formula 3 championship solely for women.[17] Competing against mostly professional drivers for the first time, she finished 6th and 7th in the opening rounds at Hockenheim and Zolder, having qualified on the front row in the former.[18] At the third round at Misano, she claimed the second-ever pole position for a Liechtensteiner in FIA-sanctioned open-wheel racing, a result which she converted into a podium finish.[19] She finished fourth ahead of a hard-charging Emma Kimiläinen at the Norisring, but ended the Assen race down in 15th after breaking her front wing whilst trying to pass Gosia Rdest.[20] The final race at Brands Hatch resulted in a 5th-place finish on the tail of series champion Jamie Chadwick, but second place for Kimiläinen meant Wohlwend dropped to 6th in the standings.[21]

She was scheduled to return to the championship in 2020 before it was cancelled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[22]

She continued to compete in the W Series on its return in 2021 as a Formula One support series. In the opening race of the season in Austria, she finished third after starting from 9th position.[23] In the third race of the season at Silverstone, she started on the front row and achieved her second podium finish of the season by crossing the line in second place, her highest race finish in the W Series so far, even though she was leading until a braking error allowed Alice Powell to overtake her.[24] She scored no further podium finishes in the remaining five races and finished the season 6th in the standings.[25]

Wohlwend battles Abbi Pulling (#49) and Beitske Visser (#95) in the 2022 W Series Silverstone round.

Wohlwend returned to the championship in 2022 with the CortDAO entry. At the opening round in Miami she qualified 5th for both races despite crashing late in the session – in the first race she crashed into Abbie Eaton and she finished 11th in the second after a grid penalty for the incident with the Briton. After a ninth-place finish in Barcelona she finished 4th at Silverstone after passing Beitske Visser on the penultimate lap. She finished seventh at Circuit Paul Ricard after a spirited fight with team-mate Marta García and followed it up with sixth at the Hungaroring. The Liechtensteiner finished eighth in her first Asian race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit before the season was cut short due to financial issues; her worst W Series campaign ended with 32 points and 10th in the standings.[26]

Endurance racing

Wohlwend made her endurance racing debut in the VLN Series in 2019, contesting VLN5 in the V4 class. She did not finish the race after an incident at Schwedenkreuz.[27] She returned to the championship in 2021 in the VT2 category, with her first race cancelled due to snowfall and her second resulting in a 4th in class, followed up by a podium in NLS3.[28][29][30] She was picked up by WS Racing to contest the 2021 Nürburgring 24 Hours Qualifying Race in their Audi R8 GT4 alongside Carrie Schreiner, Célia Martin and Laura Kraihammer – a last-minute replacement for Pippa Mann and Christina Nielsen who had failed to obtain the correct licences in time.[31] A class win followed, impressing the outfit – and they retained the Liechtensteiner but moved her to their VT2-class BMW 328i for the 24 Hour race after Mann and Nielsen met their licence requirements, where she finished 9th in class after less than half of the race was run under green flags due to torrential rain and fog.[32][33]

Wohlwend returned to the NLS in 2022 with WS Racing's "Girls Only" GT4 squad. After not starting the first race of the season due to a practice crash for co-driver Nielsen, she took part in NLS3 before finishing her first full Nürburgring 24 Hours in 35th overall joined by Schreiner, Martin and Pippa Mann.[34] She returned to the category in 2023 with the same team in an updated model M4, however her entry was disqualified from the first round after breaching the Nürburgring's noise restrictions.[35]

Wohlwend's Aston Martin Vantage GT4 during the 2023 ADAC GT4 Germany Sachsenring round.

Wohlwend joined her NLS Series co-driver Martin in the ADAC GT4 Germany series for 2023 with Aston Martin team PROsport Racing.[36]

Personal life

Wohlwend has been nominated for Liechtenstein Sportswoman of the Year four times; in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022.[37]

During her early career, Wohlwend worked for the Vaduz branch of VP Bank in order to fund her racing.[38][39][40]

Racing record

Career summary

Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position
2016 Italian F4 Championship Aragón Racing 2 0 0 0 0 0 35th
DR Formula 18 0 0 0 0
2017 Audi Sport TT Cup N/A 13 0 0 0 0 97 11th
Ferrari Challenge Europe - Coppa Shell Octane126 6 1 2 0 4 67.5 6th
2018 Ferrari Challenge Europe - Trofeo Pirelli (Pro-Am) Octane126 14 3 4 3 10 142 2nd
2019 Ferrari Challenge Europe - Trofeo Pirelli (Pro) Octane126 6 0 0 0 0 40 7th
W Series Hitech Grand Prix 6 0 1 0 1 51 6th
VLN Series - Class V4 Jaco's Paddock Motorsport 2 0 0 0 0 0 NC
2020–21 Ferrari Challenge Europe - Trofeo Pirelli (Pro) Octane126 11 1 3 0 10 132 2nd
2021 Nürburgring Endurance Series - Class VT2 Adrenalin Motorsport 2 0 0 0 1 16.74 39th
W Series Bunker Racing 8 0 0 0 2 42 6th
24 Hours of Nürburgring - VT2 Giti Tire Motorsport By WS Racing 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 9th
2022 Nürburgring Endurance Series - Class SP8T WS Racing 1 0 0 0 1 5 4th
W Series CortDAO W Series Team 7 0 0 0 0 32 10th
Indian Racing League Godspeed Kochi 6 0 0 0 2 92 6th
24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP8T Giti Tire Motorsport By WS Racing 1 0 0 0 1 N/A 3rd
2023 Nürburgring Endurance Series - SP8T WS Racing 1 0 0 0 0 0* NC*
ADAC GT4 Germany PROsport Racing 12 0 0 0 0 4 34th
Indian Racing League Godspeed Kochi 3 0 0 0 0 28‡ 9th‡
24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP8T Giti Tire Motorsport By WS Racing 1 0 1 1 1 N/A 2nd

* Season still in progress.

‡ Team standings.

Ferrari Challenge Finali Mondiali results

Year Class Team Car Circuit Pos.
2017 Coppa Shell Am Switzerland Octane126 Ferrari 488 Challenge Italy Mugello Circuit 3rd
2018 Trofeo Pirelli Pro-Am Switzerland Octane126 Ferrari 488 Challenge Italy Autodromo Nazionale di Monza 1st
2019 Trofeo Pirelli Pro Switzerland Octane126 Ferrari 488 Challenge Italy Mugello Circuit 4th
2020 Trofeo Pirelli Pro Switzerland Octane126 Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo Italy Misano World Circuit 2nd

Complete W Series results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team/Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 DC Points
2019 Hitech Grand Prix HOC
6		 ZOL
7		 MIS
3		 NOR
4		 ASS
15		 BRH
5		 6th 51
2021 Bunker Racing RBR1
3		 RBR2
10		 SIL
2		 HUN
Ret		 SPA
7		 ZAN
16		 COA1
9		 COA2
Ret		 6th 42
2022 CortDAO W Series Team MIA1
Ret		 MIA2
11		 CAT
9		 SIL
4		 LEC
7		 HUN
6		 SIN
8		 10th 32

* Season still in progress.

Complete 24 Hours of Nürburgring results

Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Ovr.
Pos.		 Class
Pos.
2021 Germany WS Racing Denmark Nicolaj Kandborg
Germany Niklas Kry
Germany Tobias Wolf		 BMW 328i (F30) VT2 43 97th 9th
2022 Germany WS Racing United Kingdom Pippa Mann
France Célia Martin
Germany Carrie Schreiner		 BMW M4 (F82) GT4 SP8T 139 35th 3rd
2023 Germany WS Racing United Kingdom Pippa Mann
France Célia Martin
Netherlands Beitske Visser		 BMW M4 GT4 (G82) SP8T 135 81st 2nd

References

  1. 1 2 "Profile: #5 Fabienne Wohlwend (FL)". Audi AG. 5 March 2017.
  2. ↑ "Fabienne Wohlwend – W Series". W Series. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
  3. ↑ "Italian and German F4 series get 40+ cars, qualifying races". Formula Scout. 7 April 2016.
  4. ↑ "Guzman and DR Racing unstoppableOne victory and one pole at Adria". DR Formula. 9 May 2016.
  5. ↑ "DR Racing chiude il 2016 in grande stile (in Italian)". DR Formula. 31 October 2016.
  6. ↑ "Jüri Vips, the Rookie Trophy champion, wins Race 3. Prema Power Team win the Teams Championship". ACI Sport. 30 October 2016.
  7. ↑ "Fabienne Wohlwend: "Das Interesse in Liechtenstein ist enorm" (in German)". Motorsport.com Switzerland. 5 May 2017.
  8. ↑ "Ferrari Challenge Europe – Fabienne Wohlwend wins at Imola and makes history". Ferrari B.V. 8 October 2017.
  9. ↑ "Ferrari Challenge 2017 - Coppa Shell - World final race at Mugello". Motorsport.com Australia. 23 November 2017.
  10. ↑ "Fabienne Wohlwend – Corse Clienti". Ferrari B.V. 17 April 2019.
  11. ↑ "Wohlwend gibt in Barcelona wieder Gas (in German)". Volksblatt.li. 14 September 2018. Archived from the original on 1 March 2023.
  12. ↑ "Ferrari Challenge: Wohlwend ist Weltmeisterin! (in German)". Volksblatt.li. 4 November 2018. Archived from the original on 1 March 2023.
  13. ↑ "Fabienne Wohlwend verpasst Podest bei den Ferrari World Finals nur knapp (in German)". Motorsport.com Switzerland. 30 October 2019.
  14. ↑ "Vielversprechender Saisonauftakt im Ferrari (in German)". Liechtensteiner Vaterland. 6 July 2020.
  15. ↑ "Fabienne Wohlwend muss auf Misano verzichten (in German)". Radio L. 24 September 2020.
  16. ↑ "Wohlwend ist Vize-Weltmeisterin (in German)". Volksblatt.li. 7 March 2021. Archived from the original on 1 March 2023.
  17. ↑ "W Series announces its driver line-up". W Series. 28 March 2019.
  18. ↑ "Platz 7 für Wohlwend (in German)". Volksblatt.li. 19 May 2019. Archived from the original on 1 March 2023.
  19. ↑ "Frederick von Opel". Driver Database. 8 June 2019.
  20. ↑ "Kaputter Frontflügel bremst Wohlwend aus (in German)". Volksblatt.li. 20 July 2019. Archived from the original on 1 March 2023.
  21. ↑ "Wohlwend wird beim Saisonfinale Fünfte (in German)". Volksblatt.li. 11 August 2019. Archived from the original on 1 March 2023.
  22. ↑ "W Series cancels 2020 season but reveals plans for F1 support races in 2021". Formula One. 4 June 2020.
  23. ↑ "Fabienne: Ein Podium für die Nachbarn" (in Swiss High German). Autosprint Switzerland. 27 June 2021.
  24. ↑ "W Series: Fabienne zurück auf dem Podium" (in Swiss High German). Autosprint Switzerland. 17 July 2021.
  25. ↑ "W Series 2021 results and standings for top drivers and teams". Motorsport Network. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  26. ↑ "W-Series-Saison abgebrochen (in German)". Volksblatt.li. 10 October 2022. Archived from the original on 1 March 2023.
  27. ↑ "Fabienne Wohlwend – official fanpage on Facebook". Facebook. 14 August 2019.
  28. ↑ "Schnee verhindert Renneinsatz (in German)". Volksblatt.li. 29 March 2021. Archived from the original on 1 March 2023.
  29. ↑ "Female Drivers shine in several Classes at NLS Round 2". Racers – Behind the Helmet. 18 April 2021.
  30. ↑ "Motorsport: Fabienne Wohlwend auf dem Podium (in German)". Radio L. 2 May 2021.
  31. ↑ "Nürburgring 24H: shake up in the "Girls Only" team ahead of the qualifying race". Racers – Behind the Helmet. 7 May 2021.
  32. ↑ "Wohlwend ist nun bereit für das 24-Stunden-Rennen (in German)". Volksblatt.li. 10 May 2021. Archived from the original on 1 March 2023.
  33. ↑ "Nebel verkürzt Wohlwends Karrierehighlight (in German)". Volksblatt.li. 6 May 2021. Archived from the original on 1 March 2023.
  34. ↑ "Female success & class podiums in sparkly 24H of Nürburgring". Racers – Behind the Helmet. 31 May 2022.
  35. ↑ "Rennabruch: Wohlwends BMW war zu laut (in German)". Liechtensteiner Vaterland. 19 March 2023.
  36. ↑ "Célia Martin and Fabienne Wohlwend team up at ProSport for ADAC GT4 campaign". Racers - Behind the Helmet. 11 May 2023.
  37. ↑ "Die Titelverteidiger sind alle am Start (in German)". Liechtensteiner Vaterland. 18 November 2019.
  38. ↑ "Fabienne Wohlwend: "Neben Mick Schumacher auf dem Podium ist nichts Besonderes" (in German)". Motorsport.com Switzerland. 8 August 2016.
  39. ↑ "Ferrari: Fabienne meistert die Challenge (in German)". Autosprint Switzerland. 31 October 2019.
  40. ↑ "Wohlwend setzt voll auf Sport (in German)". Liechtensteiner Vaterland. 17 July 2019.
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