W Series Announces Partnership with Formula 1
W Series, an all-female single-seater racing championship, has announced an official partnership with Formula 1, the top single-seater racing series in the world.
When it first publicly launched in 2018, the series had been created in response to the lack of female participation in F1 and other championships at the highest levels of motorsport.
Rookie Drivers: Tips for buying your first car
The 2021 W Series calendar will include eight Formula 1 support races. Many racing series compete at F1 circuits on the days leading up to the Sunday grand prix, which helps increase exposure for the races as fans often show up for the whole weekend rather than a single day.
According to CEO Catherine Bond Muir, partnering with F1 had always been her organization’s ultimate objective. “Formula 1 is by some margin the world’s premier motor racing series, and, when we promised that W Series would be bigger and better in the future, partnering with Formula 1 was always our ultimate objective,” she said.
“We want W Series to entertain…but we also want it to become a crucial default-option stepping stone for any female racing driver who wants to carve out a professional racing career, and our proximity to Formula 1 will help and enhance that process,” Muir added. “The fact that W Series is now eligible for FIA Super Licence points will also be an important factor in that regard.”
Protecting The Future: What are the pros and cons of waxing your car?
The all-female series has so far held just the one championship in 2019, with six races. Jamie Chadwick, who won two of them and finished on the podium five times, was crowned the inaugural champion at the Brands Hatch season finale. However, the COVID-19 pandemic prevented the 2020 championship from taking place.
W Series and F1 have yet to reveal where the support races will be. F1 recently announced it would hold a 2021 race in Saudi Arabia for the first time, which was widely criticized as being in conflict with the sport’s #WeRaceAsOne brand message. Somehow, we imagine W Series will not end up competing there or in Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, China, Russia — all unfortunate destinations for F1 in 2021.
Kurt Verlin was born in France and lives in the United States. Throughout his life he was always told French was the language of romance, but it was English he fell in love with. He likes cats, music, cars, 30 Rock, Formula 1, and pretending to be a race car driver in simulators; but most of all, he just likes to write about it all. See more articles by Kurt.