The year is 2030 and Formula 1 is celebrating its 1,250th championship race. The grid consists of 22 drivers, all of which are male. Lella Lombardi is still the most recent female to have competed in an F1 race, more than 50 years ago…
Although there are plenty of talented female racers, the opportunities to reach F1 remain very limited and even more so for women.
Hoping to change that future is a new racing series, entirely dedicated to female drivers, the vision of founder Catherine Bond Muir with the backing of ex-F1 driver David Coulthard, born out of a desire to see women break down the barriers to completing in top-level motorsports and, finally, give them the tools and backing they need to hopefully see another women on the F1 grid in the not too distant future.
When does the season start?
W Series kicks off this weekend following a lengthy build-up which saw more than 100 applicants apply to race one of the 18 Tatuus F3 T-318 cars that will make up the grid. That number has been whittled down to the 18 successful candidates following weeks of testing both on and off track.
Where are the races taking place?
W Series will support the German touring car series DTM at the opening six rounds. That’s Hockenheim this weekend followed by Zolder in Belgium in mid-May with visits to Misano, the Norisring, Assen before concluding at Brands Hatch in August.
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| 3-5 May | Hockenheim | Germany |
| 17-19 May | Zolder | Belgium |
| 7-9 June | Misano | Italy |
| 5-7 July | Norisring | Germany |
| 19-21 July | Assen | Netherlands |
| 10-11 August | Brands Hatch | United Kingdom |
How long are the races?
There will be just one race per weekend and they will be 30 minutes + 1 lap long. Like F1, points are awarded on the following scale with the winner taking the full 25 points, followed by 18 for 2nd, 15 for 3rd, 12 for 4th, 10 for 5th and so on, with tenth place taking a single point.
The races will feature standing starts and there will be no refuelling.
There will be two 45-minute practice session before qualifying, which will last 30 minutes.
Who’s taking part?
18 successful candidates have been chosen to race in the inaugural season, representing a total of 13 nationalities, plus four reserve drivers.
#55 Jamie Chadwick, UK
#37 Sabre Cook, USA
#19 Marta Garcia, Spain
#49 Megan Gilkes, Canada
#2 Esmee Hawkey, UK
#21 Jessica Hawkins, UK
#67 Shea Holbrook, USA
#7 Emma Kimilainen, Finland
#85 Miki Koyama, Japan
#26 Sarah Moore, UK
#31 Tasmin Pepper, South Africa
#11 Vicky Piria, Italy
#27 Alice Powell, UK
#3 Gosia Rdest, Poland
#99 Naomi Schiff, Belgium
#95 Beitske Visser, Netherlands
#5 Fabienne Wohlwend, Liechtenstein
#20 Caitlin Wood, Australia
Reserve Drivers:
#58 Sarah Bovy, Belgium
#77 Vivien Keszthelyi, Hungary
#TBC Stephane Kox, Netherlands
#TBC Francesca Linossi, Italy
What’s the prize?
The champion will be awarded a top prize of $500,000 and there will be a total prize pot of $1.5 million, which will be divided amongst the grid.
How can I watch?
The series has confirmed a number of broadcast deals. If you’re in the UK, you can enjoy free-to-air coverage on Channel 4.
The action will be broadcast on NENT Group’s Viaplay streaming service and Viasat pay-TV channels, with selected races broadcast on NENT Group’s free-TV channels, covering Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland.
In the Netherlands, Ziggo Sport will show live coverage of all six rounds and there will be delayed coverage on Channel 14.
16 territories in Asia, including China, South Korea, Indonesia, Philippines, Hong Kong, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Singapore will receive coverage via Fox Sports Asia.
In Oceania, SBS in Australia will broadcast races on a free-to-air basis via app and on-line, and in New Zealand, Sky NZ will broadcast races and highlights.
Across sub-Saharan Africa, free-to-air and mobile coverage will extend to 17 territories including Nigeria, Ethiopia, Botswana, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.
It’s hoped further countries will be added soon.
The first race this weekend takes place at Hockenheim with practice on Friday 3, followed by qualifying on Saturday at 11:55 local time (BST+1) and the race at 16:10 (BST+1).
