'5+1' with Porsche's Formula E spokesperson Viktoria Wohlrapp
Meet Viktoria Wohlrapp, spokesperson for Formula E at Porsche. As we all know patriarchy still dominates in motorsport. Learn more about Viktoria, her job, motivation and experiences in this male-dominated business, her fascination about motorsport, the reason of Porsche’s entry into the 2019/20 Formula E season, how motorsport can become more diverse and how it looks at Porsche.
1. You are the spokesperson for Formula E at Porsche. What does your daily work routine look like and what is it that drives you?
As spokesperson, I am the first contact for the press and the public to the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team. Together with my team, we develop the PR strategy for Porsche in Formula E and my job is to implement it best across all communication channels. I am in contact with journalists and the media worldwide to produce interesting and relevant stories with our drivers and I am responsible that sporting results are communicated in time and well across all channels. I also work closely with the Formula E Championship to make sure this exciting and forward-looking race series becomes even more popular internationally. We are an integral part of Porsche Motorsport and we benefit highly from the experience and passion for motorsport at Porsche with over 30.000 victories since the company founding. Formula E is a strategic new step for Porsche into a new race series and it is exciting for me to be part of the team from day one. I am driven by the desire to work together with different people around the world and to push forward exciting projects and topics.
2. Since when are you interested in motorsport and what fascinates you about it?
As a child, I have been following Formula 1 races and the duels between Alan Prost and Ayrton Senna intensively. Sports and motorsports have always fascinated me, I actually wanted to become a sports journalist, but my career has first taken a different direction. I have been working at Porsche since 2013 and motorsport is part of the Porsche DNA, my goal has always been to work in this field. Formula E is so fascinating because is a completely different kind of motorsport, which is challenging and exiting at the same time.
3. What are the reasons for Porsche's entry into the 2019/20 Formula E season?
Porsche´s entry into Formula E is a natural implication of our strategy towards electrification. Everything we do on the racetrack we also transfer to the road. Therefore, it was a logical step to enter Formula E in 2019 at the same time, when our first fully electric car, the Porsche Taycan, was launched. Formula E is the most competitive environment to drive the development of high-performance vehicles with regard to eco-friendliness, efficiency, economy and sustainability. Our customers benefit not just from a fascinating racing series that we help to shape, but also from technology innovations in our products based on the experience we gain through racing. Formula E also appeals to a broad target group. In addition to the classic motorsports fan, it is also aimed at people who are interested in the topic of sustainability and live in an urban environment, as well as the digital generation and people who are enthusiastic about technology.
4. A good example of equality between men and women is the new electric off-road racing series „Extreme“ obligating teams to deploy men and women. But why does patriarchy still dominate in motorsport and what has to change so that this is no longer the case?
Traditionally, motorsports used to be a male domain. At Porsche it is all about skill, motivation and success in a team. Regardless of gender or other clichés. This philosophy also corresponds with my own values. In the end, diversity also contributes to success. We are a team from different nations and of different origin and gender. In the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, we also have the first female works driver, Simona De Silvestro, as test and development driver, in addition to several female engineers and female team members in team management, marketing and communications.
5. Have you experienced any disadvantages during your career in the automotive industry due to being a woman? What do you think must happen that women become more visible and gain more influence?
Hard work and supporting a team and a strict discipline have always been traits that made careers. I think in the generation to come this question will not be asked at all, and my daughters e.g. can be successful in any profession they want to pursue. Women must be self-confident and go their own way and say what they want (and want they don’t want). And if a someone is maybe better at certain job, one should accept that, just like in sports. Independent of gender and origin.
And the +1 question from Viktoria to you: “Where do you see the future of motorsport in ten years from now?”
Thank you Viktoria for the great talk.
Picture 1, 2: Richard Pardon
Picture 3, 4, 5: Porsche
Interview: Britta Reineke