The wait is finally over for the start of the W Series third season.
The international single-seater motor racing championship for women drivers’ 2022 campaign begins this weekend with a double-header in support of Formula 1’s inaugural Miami Grand Prix.
The third season starts where the second left off in October last year – in the USA.
The Circuit of the Americas in Texas was where Jamie Chadwick became a two-time W Series champion in front of a record 400,000 fans.
She will now try and defend her title at the brand-new Miami International Autodrome. A capacity crowd is expected to attend the first F1 race in the country’s southeasternmost state since Bruce McLaren won the 1959 United States Grand Prix at Sebring.
W Series Chief Executive Officer Catherine Bond Muir said:
“Last year’s season finale in Austin – W Series’ first event in the USA – was spectacular, as our women racing drivers showcased their skills in front of 400,000 people across the weekend.
“We will carry all that momentum into the inaugural Miami Grand Prix. W Series Miami presented by Hard Rock will be the biggest event we’ve ever staged – the interest from commercial and media partners to be part of it has been incredible and I can’t wait for the racing to start.”
W Series will stage races at the F1 grands prix weekends in Spain, the UK, France, Hungary, Japan – W Series’ first race in Asia – USA (COTA), and Mexico where the season will end as it begins, with a double-header.
Following pre-season tests at the Inde Motorsports Ranch, Arizona, USA, and the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain, five drivers – Tereza Babickova (CZE, 18), Bianca Bustamante (PHI, 17), Chloe Chambers (USA, 17), Emely De Heus (NED, 19), and Juju Noda (JPN, 16) – will make their W Series debuts in Miami.
They will line up alongside W Series established drivers like Jamie Chadwick, Alice Powell and Emma Kimiläinen.
However, the 18 drivers on the grid this weekend will start on an even-footing, with all of them using identical Tatuus F3 T-318 race cars, and none of them having driven the 3.36 miles (5.41km) circuit – which features 19 corners and three straights – at the Hard Rock Stadium complex, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.
Jamie Chadwick will be starting the season competing for the newly-formed Jenner Racing Team this year. She will share the spotlight in Miami with rookie teammate Chloe Chambers.
Chloe Chambers (Jenner Racing) said:
“I’m loving the W Series experience so far. I’ve been impressed by the professionalism and organisation of whole team – it’s so well run, and the cars are incredible to drive. I can’t wait to get started in Miami, the first of two home races for me this year. The series is making great strides in the USA and I’m excited to be part of such a spectacular event at the Miami Grand Prix.
“I feel really comfortable in the car, and I’ve got used to the speed already. For this season, I’m going in with a clear mind and willing to learn. With Caitlyn Jenner as a team boss and two-time W Series champion Jamie Chadwick as a team-mate, I couldn’t have two better people in my team to learn from. Both have a wealth of knowledge about sport and racing, and I’m looking forward to working with them, and the entire Jenner Racing Team, as the season progresses.”
Jenner Racing are one of four new teams on the W Series grid in 2022, when Quantfury Racing W Series Team, CortDAO Racing W Series Team, and Click2Drive Bristol Street Motors Racing W Series Team will also make their debuts.
They will join the Puma, Racing X, Scuderia W, Sirin, and W Series Academy teams, who all competed in the 2021 W Series championship.
A strong contender this year is also Abbi Pulling who burst onto the scene in 2021. She competed in just half of the seasons races but scored a pole position and podium finish at COTA and finished seventh in the championship and automatic qualification of 2022.
Abbi Pulling (Racing X) said:
“I’m quite confident going to Miami. It feels like when we went to Austin last year – none of us had driven the circuit before and that’s where I had my best result so, if I adapt quickly to the circuit, it should be a good weekend. I think I can challenge at the front this season, but I’m just taking it one race at a time. With more races this year, I need to be consistent.
“I’ve had a look at the Miami circuit on the simulator and I love it. The corners are fast-flowing and lots of them will be taken flat-out. There are bumps and subtle undulations, and clusters of corners where it’s easy to fall over yourself as they come thick and fast with the walls really close. So, it’s a proper street circuit and, although I’ve never driven one before, it reminds me of circuits in the UK in the sense that there is no room for error, which I hope stands me in good stead.”
Dave Ryan (Racing Director, W Series) said:
“It’s been more than six months since the end of last season but, as ever, there has been no down time and we’ve been flat-out preparing for the start of season three. I would like to thank my entire team for the hard work they have put in, because of which we have a strong line-up of drivers who travel to Miami ready to hit the ground running.
“I expect close battles throughout the field, especially as nobody has driven the new circuit in Miami before. It’s a mix of long straights and sweeping corners and, with the barriers always close by, any mistakes will be punished hard so consistency and precision will win out.”
The full driver line-up for the 2022 W Series season is as follows:
Click2Drive Bristol Street Motors Racing W Series Team: Alice Powell (UK, 29) and Jessica Hawkins (UK, 27)
CortDAO Racing W Series Team: Fabienne Wohlwend (LIE, 24) and Marta Garcia (ESP, 21)
Jenner Racing: Jamie Chadwick (UK, 23) and Chloe Chambers (USA, 17)
Puma W Series Team: Emma Kimiläinen (FIN, 32) and Tereza Babickova (CZE, 19)
Quantfury Racing W Series Team: Nerea Martí (ESP, 20) and Belén García (ESP, 22)
Racing X: Abbi Pulling (UK, 19) and Bruna Tomaselli (BRA, 24)
Scuderia W: Sarah Moore (UK, 28) and Abbie Eaton (UK, 30)
Sirin Racing W Series Team: Beitske Visser (NED, 27) and Emely De Heus (NED, 19)
W Series Academy: Bianca Bustamante (PHI, 17) and Juju Noda (JPN, 16)
Reserve driver: Ayla Agren (28, NOR)