W Series (championship)

W Series is an all-female single-seater racing championship.[1] The series' first season was in 2019; it featured twenty drivers contesting six races.

W Series
CategorySingle-seater
CountryInternational
Inaugural season2019
Drivers20
ConstructorsTatuus
Engine suppliersAlfa Romeo 1.8T
Tyre suppliersHankook Tire
Drivers' champion Jamie Chadwick
Official websitewseries.com
Current season

History

The W Series was publicly launched on 10 October 2018. Rumours about the creation of a female-only racing series had begun to circulate in November 2017.[2] It was created in response to the lack of female drivers progressing to the highest levels of motorsport, particularly Formula 1.[3]

The series has the backing of a number of prominent members of the motorsport community, including former F1 driver David Coulthard and engineer Adrian Newey. For the inaugural season all cars were operated by Hitech GP.[4]

In early 2020 the calendar for the 2020 W Series was announced.[5] The initial drivers' list confirmed that the top twelve finishers from the inaugural championship in 2019 were automatically qualified to return for the 2020 series.[6]

Championship format
Alice Powell leads Emma Kimiläinen and Beitske Visser at the 2019 W Series Brands Hatch round.

The series features eighteen female racers from around the globe, plus two reserve drivers. The drivers were selected through a selection process that began with fifty-four participants.[7]

The 2019 championship consists of six races, all in Europe.[8]

The title of 2019 W Series Champion will be awarded to the competitor with the highest number of points from all qualifying rounds run less any penalty points incurred. If two or more drivers finish the season with the same number of points, the higher place in the series shall be awarded to the driver with the most race wins. If the number of races wins is the same, it will then go on the number of second places finishes, then third place finishes and so on.

On 30 January 2020 the series announced the breakdown of FIA Super Licence points would be attributed for the top eight finishers in the upcoming season. The series has been allocated a scoring system of 15-12-10-7-5-3-2-1 by the FIA, which puts it on a par with the NASCAR Cup, Indy Lights, Formula Renault Eurocup, Euroformula Open, Super Formula Lights, Australian Supercars and the WTCR.

The 15 points for the champion is fewer than is awarded for winning Formula Regional and Asian F3, two series run in same machinery as W Series.[9]

Race weekend format

Practice and qualifying

Each round includes two free practice sessions of a maximum of forty-five minutes, and a qualifying session of a maximum of thirty minutes.

Race

Each race shall be for a specific number of laps, based on the number of laps that would normally be completed within thirty minutes, plus one lap.

Points system
1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th
251815121086421

Car specifications
The Tatuus–Alfa Romeo F3 T-318 car of Sabré Cook is pushed into the paddock.
A Tatuus–Alfa Romeo F3 T-318 with the engine partially visible

The W Series features mechanically identical cars based on the recently launched Tatuus–Alfa Romeo F3 T-318, homologated by the FIA for use in Formula 3 in Formula Regional European Championship, powered by Autotecnica Motori-tuned Alfa Romeo 1.8-litre turbocharged engines, and equipped with a halo cockpit safety device.[10]

Champions
Inaugural season champion Jamie Chadwick.
Season Driver Poles Wins Podiums Fastest laps Points Clinched Margin
2019 Jamie Chadwick 3 2 5 0 110 Race 6 of 6 10
2020 Not held

Funding structure

The inaugural W Series Championship is free to enter; competitors are not required to bring any sponsorship.[11]

The championship offers a total prize fund of $1.5 million, with the series champion receiving a top prize of $500,000, and the remaining $1 million being divided among the rest of the drivers.[12]

Media coverage

W Series race coverage is available on Channel 4 in the UK. The show is presented by long-time F1 journalist and sports presenter Lee McKenzie. Motor racing TV and radio broadcaster and commentator Claire Cottingham is the series' lead race commentator, with ex-F1 driver and current Channel 4 F1 presenter and former Formula One driver David Coulthard as co-commentator. Sky F1's Ted Kravitz is W Series' pitlane reporter.

W Series races are live-streamed on Facebook and Twitter in countries without television broadcasts.[13]

Criticism

The W Series has faced criticism since it was publicly announced, with opponents of the series asserting that the category will segregate female racers rather than promote their inclusion in established series.[14]

British IndyCar Series driver Pippa Mann responded to the series’ announcement on Twitter, saying "What a sad day for motorsport. Those with funding to help female racers are choosing to segregate them as opposed to supporting them. I am deeply disappointed to see such a historic step backwards take place in my life time."[15][16]

Mann’s views on segregation were echoed by Charlie Martin who stated "This series is founded on segregation, and while it may create opportunities for some female drivers, it sends a clear message that segregation is acceptable. We don’t discriminate in sport based on race, so it is particularly jarring that we feel it is acceptable to do so based on gender in 2018. As racers, we want to compete against the best drivers – regardless of age, race, sexual orientation or gender – and prove we are the best at what we do."[17][18]

Former Formula E and ex-Sauber F1 Test Driver Simona de Silvestro has suggested that the $1.5 million prize fund would be better invested in a scholarship system to support the development of talent across a wider range of motorsport disciplines. "If there’s really that much money going into the series, there are a few girls that have been pretty competitive in junior series. It seems like everyone is just struggling to get the shot. If you look at a Red Bull affiliation or a Mercedes affiliation, somehow these kids always get into the best teams and then they’re winning. I think, personally, it would have been better to do something like the Red Bull programme and make sure some girls get an opportunity on a really good team." [19]

Claire Williams, deputy team principal of the Williams Formula One team, was initially critical of the series and felt it was analogous to segregation. However, she later retracted this and praised the series for promoting women in motorsports.[20]

gollark: See, people actually do not mind teaching people things much, mostly?
gollark: ++remind 3mo olivine = (Mg2+, Fe2+)2SiO4
gollark: Also, C is extremely nontrivial.
gollark: "Most people" are apiocryoforms and will go "Oh bee oh apioids scary symbols".
gollark: https://xkcd.com/2501/

See also

Notes and references
  1. "All-female motor racing series offers potential F1 pathway". CNN. Retrieved 2018-10-24.
  2. Gilboy, James. "W Series: Everything to Know About the Women-Only Racing Championship". The Drive. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
  3. "Segregation or opportunity? Female racing drivers react to W Series". www.espn.in. ESPN. 11 October 2018.
  4. Khorounzhiy, Valentin (18 May 2019). "Top F3 team to run all W Series cars". motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
  5. "W Series 2020 calendar announced: Russia and Sweden among initial venues". Motor Sport Magazine. 2020-01-16. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
  6. Errington, Tom. "W Series' 2020 champion can't defend her title in '21". Autosport.com. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
  7. "2019 Qualifiers". wseries.com. W Series. Retrieved 2019-05-17.
  8. "2019 Race Calendar". wseries.com. W Series. Retrieved 2019-05-17.
  9. <Adam Cooper> (30 January 2020). "W Series unveils full 2020 superlicence points allocation". www.motorsport.com. Motorsport.
  10. "New Tatuus F3 T-318 unveiled | Press Racing". www.pressracing.com. Retrieved 2018-10-26.
  11. "The new women-only single seater race series is dividing opinion". www.carthrottle.com. Car Throttle. 11 October 2018.
  12. "New all-female W Series to launch in 2019". www.motorsport.com. Motorsport. 10 October 2018.
  13. "Where to Watch". wseries.com. W Series. Retrieved 2019-05-17.
  14. Richards, Giles (2019-08-09). "W Series' first champion marks key step for women in motor racing | Giles Richards". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
  15. "'W Series' launched to mixed reviews in bid to increase number of women drivers challenging men in F1". www.independent.co.uk. The Independent. 10 October 2018.
  16. "Pippa Mann: The W Series is a 'sad day for motorsport'". www.nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. 13 October 2018.
  17. "W Series: Pippa Mann says new women-only series will 'segregate' female racers". www.bbc.co.uk. The BBC. 10 October 2018.
  18. "Women-only W Series 'feels like a backwards step', says Charlie Martin". www.skysports.com. Sky Sports. 11 October 2018.
  19. "De Silvestro: Red Bull-style programme preferable to W Series". www.motorsport.com. Motorsport.com. 31 October 2018.
  20. Parkes, Ian (2019-09-06). "The W Series Silences Its Critics. Next Stop: F1". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
Awards
Preceded by
FIA (halo)		 Autosport
Pioneering and Innovation Award
2019		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
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