Fabienne Wohlwend

Fabienne Wohlwend (born 7 November 1997 in Vaduz) is a female racing driver from Liechtenstein who competes in the W Series.

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. Her first season in formula racing was a struggle, as 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. Being the only woman competing in that championship, she won the Women's Trophy class uncontested.

Audi Sport TT Cup

She would move into sportscars for 2017, successfully applying for the Audi Sport TT Cup. Wohlwend continued to struggle in the Audis, with a best result of 8th in her first race in the category at the Hockenheimring. She finished the season 11th in the standings.

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 however, 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. 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.

With the demise of the Audi TT Cup, Wohlwend remained in the Ferrari Challenge – however would make the step up to the Trofeo Pirelli for Gold and Silver-rated drivers. In a season plagued with inconsistency, she would win three of the fourteen races – one at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps and both races at the Misano World Circuit – and finish second in the championship to Briton Chris Froggatt. 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.

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..

W Series

In 2019 she returned to open-wheel racing, having qualified for the W Series – a Formula 3 championship solely for women. 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. 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. She finished fourth ahead of a hard-charging Emma Kimiläinen at the Norisring, but would end the race at Assen down in 15th after breaking her front wing whilst trying to pass Gosia Rdest. The final race at Brands Hatch resulted in a 5th place finish on the tail of series champion Jamie Chadwick, despite injury concerns pre-race following a high-speed rollover on her VLN Series debut the previous weekend.

Personal life

Statistically, Wohlwend is Liechtenstein's most successful racing driver in history. As well as being one of only three professional racing drivers ever to come from Liechtenstein – alongside Frederick von Opel and Manfred Schurti – she also has the most race starts (70) and most race wins (5) of any Liechtensteiner. The Schellenberg-based driver has also twice been nominated for Liechtenstein Sportswoman of the Year, in 2018 and 2019.

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

Career results

Complete W Series results

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