planetf1.com

DOLOMITE wrote:

Banana Man wrote:Katherine Legge has apparently applied for next season’s WS, I really don’t get that one. She will be 40 and we’ll beyond the official criteria of giving young women a chance in motorsport.

If she just wants the £500k to pay for another year somewhere else, I guess it makes sense from her POV but then what.

That is odd. Legge is a class act who has achieved so much already, surely at this stage her career isn't about going up against teenagers trying to get a break? If anything she in a position to be helping with their careers! She's done Formula Ford, NASCAR, Champ, Formula E, DTM... hardly someone in need of a break.

If it's just for the ££ that's not good and hopefully the selection process will pick that up. I can't see how someone like her fits the bill with what W Series is trying to achieve? And if she did compete and went on to win I don't think it would reflect well on the series.

Huge respect for Legge, but I don't get this at all.

THAT is precisely WHY she should do it. If she spanks the field it would oust the series as a farce, proving the drivers simply do not have the stuff to make it into F1. Hell, most of them this past "season" didn't do much against the boys in other series, yet those same boys that beat them fair and square didn't get the opportunity to showcase themselves on a stage as large as these women got. And that's not fair in my eyes. Afterall, the purpose of ALL Jr. series is to provide opportunities to DRIVERS, period!… Not female drivers, not handicap drivers, not White, Black, Asian, Hispanic, Indian, neither poor, nor rich drivers… just DRIVERS and nothing else. For women to be GIVEN a racing series just so they can "have a platform" was wrong to begin with and is just one more brain fart conjured up to make money under the guise of appealing to the Recreational Outrage movement we're stuck in these days.

Guys like Leclerc, Verstappen, Vettel, Hamilton, Massa, Alonso, Schumacher, Montoya, Button, Raikkonen, Bottas ALL had the exact same chance of standing out coming up through the ranks these women all had, and it was slim to none and it was only thanks to their genuine talent and ability that they EARNED a shot at F1 and beyond, but countless others who were simply not of equal ability didn't make it, and that's perfectly ok with no need to create a special series where the lesser talented could showcase what else?… But their lesser talent!

So the list of applicants has been formally released for the W Series 2020 season.

https://au.motorsport.com/w-series/news ... s/4538892/

Looks like:

* They got 40 applicants in total for the 2020 season. In 2019, the inaugural W series registered 61 applicants.
* All the top 12 finishers in 2019, including the winner, Jamie Chadwick, will be backing up & thus get automatic entry to the season.
* All of the bottom 8 have re-applied & will have to go back through the test & qualification process
* 13 new applicants will attend the Almeria test session including unsuccessful 2019 applicants Alya Agren, Bruna Tomaselli, Courtney Crone & Michelle Gatting.

So in summary, No-one from the 2019 season looks to have caught the eye of F3 championship teams as they're all rolling up again for a 2nd tilt. The 2020 W series has garnered 21 fewer applicants overall than the 2019 season & of those, there are only 9 applicants who did not go though the qualification process for the 2019 season.

Jezza13 wrote:So the list of applicants has been formally released for the W Series 2020 season.

https://au.motorsport.com/w-series/news ... s/4538892/

Looks like:

* They got 40 applicants in total for the 2020 season. In 2019, the inaugural W series registered 61 applicants.
* All the top 12 finishers in 2019, including the winner, Jamie Chadwick, will be backing up & thus get automatic entry to the season.
* All of the bottom 8 have re-applied & will have to go back through the test & qualification process
* 13 new applicants will attend the Almeria test session including unsuccessful 2019 applicants Alya Agren, Bruna Tomaselli, Courtney Crone & Michelle Gatting.

So in summary, No-one from the 2019 season looks to have caught the eye of F3 championship teams as they're all rolling up again for a 2nd tilt. The 2020 W series has garnered 21 fewer applicants overall than the 2019 season & of those, there are only 9 applicants who did not go though the qualification process for the 2019 season.

Hold up, have the drivers with the guaranteed spots actually confirmed they are returning? I read that us just they have a place if they want it

So do we know which of those have confirmed they will be returning?

Jezza13 wrote:So the list of applicants has been formally released for the W Series 2020 season.

https://au.motorsport.com/w-series/news ... s/4538892/

Looks like:

* They got 40 applicants in total for the 2020 season. In 2019, the inaugural W series registered 61 applicants.
* All the top 12 finishers in 2019, including the winner, Jamie Chadwick, will be backing up & thus get automatic entry to the season.
* All of the bottom 8 have re-applied & will have to go back through the test & qualification process
* 13 new applicants will attend the Almeria test session including unsuccessful 2019 applicants Alya Agren, Bruna Tomaselli, Courtney Crone & Michelle Gatting.

So in summary, No-one from the 2019 season looks to have caught the eye of F3 championship teams as they're all rolling up again for a 2nd tilt. The 2020 W series has garnered 21 fewer applicants overall than the 2019 season & of those, there are only 9 applicants who did not go though the qualification process for the 2019 season.

And there in lies the root of my issue with this series. Teams must know what times and performance figures they're looking for in order to identify an elite talent and it seems none of the competitors have ticked any of the boxes for any teams to consider even giving anyone a test.

From that list however, I'm very curious to see how Courtney Crone does. She has a really interesting mix of disciplines she's competed in, and the most interesting is the Midget racing series and that has historically been a prime breeding ground for countless all-time greats. That Turning right to go left and utilizing the throttle to help control steering is something to behold and the pinpoint accuracy and reflexes required to do it is nothing short of impressive.

DOLOMITE wrote:

Jezza13 wrote:So the list of applicants has been formally released for the W Series 2020 season.

https://au.motorsport.com/w-series/news ... s/4538892/

Looks like:

* They got 40 applicants in total for the 2020 season. In 2019, the inaugural W series registered 61 applicants.
* All the top 12 finishers in 2019, including the winner, Jamie Chadwick, will be backing up & thus get automatic entry to the season.
* All of the bottom 8 have re-applied & will have to go back through the test & qualification process
* 13 new applicants will attend the Almeria test session including unsuccessful 2019 applicants Alya Agren, Bruna Tomaselli, Courtney Crone & Michelle Gatting.

So in summary, No-one from the 2019 season looks to have caught the eye of F3 championship teams as they're all rolling up again for a 2nd tilt. The 2020 W series has garnered 21 fewer applicants overall than the 2019 season & of those, there are only 9 applicants who did not go though the qualification process for the 2019 season.

Hold up, have the drivers with the guaranteed spots actually confirmed they are returning? I read that us just they have a place if they want it

So do we know which of those have confirmed they will be returning?

Well I could be wrong but i'd assume that, even though they were guaranteed a spot on the grid they'd have still had to complete an application. They're also being listed in the article as " 2020 W Series Contenders" so would it not be unreasonable to think that as it stands today they all intend to return?

Obviously that's not to say the situation won't change but as of the time of the release of the article, the way I read it was that they all intended to return.

Well Chadwick is saying she wants more from Williams and Honestly, Williams should pit her against Kubika to see who does better.
If she can't hang with a diminished version of Kubika, the writing will be on the wall for her and the W series as a whole.
And if she should happen to beat him and prove competitive with Russel, I'd gladly concede and say I was wrong.

F1 MERCENARY wrote:Well Chadwick is saying she wants more from Williams and Honestly, Williams should pit her against Kubika to see who does better.
If she can't hang with a diminished version of Kubika, the writing will be on the wall for her and the W series as a whole.
And if she should happen to beat him and prove competitive with Russel, I'd gladly concede and say I was wrong.

I'm just wondering what more can Williams do for her unless it means placing her in the Prema F3 team because she can't race the Williams F1 car, she doesn't have the necessary super license points.

That’s the other issue. Lol

pokerman wrote:

F1 MERCENARY wrote:Well Chadwick is saying she wants more from Williams and Honestly, Williams should pit her against Kubika to see who does better.
If she can't hang with a diminished version of Kubika, the writing will be on the wall for her and the W series as a whole.
And if she should happen to beat him and prove competitive with Russel, I'd gladly concede and say I was wrong.

I'm just wondering what more can Williams do for her unless it means placing her in the Prema F3 team because she can't race the Williams F1 car, she doesn't have the necessary super license points.

Question with that though is what'd be in it for Prema?

Jezza13 wrote:

pokerman wrote:

F1 MERCENARY wrote:Well Chadwick is saying she wants more from Williams and Honestly, Williams should pit her against Kubika to see who does better.
If she can't hang with a diminished version of Kubika, the writing will be on the wall for her and the W series as a whole.
And if she should happen to beat him and prove competitive with Russel, I'd gladly concede and say I was wrong.

I'm just wondering what more can Williams do for her unless it means placing her in the Prema F3 team because she can't race the Williams F1 car, she doesn't have the necessary super license points.

Question with that though is what'd be in it for Prema?

Money from Williams.

pokerman wrote:

Jezza13 wrote:

pokerman wrote:

F1 MERCENARY wrote:Well Chadwick is saying she wants more from Williams and Honestly, Williams should pit her against Kubika to see who does better.
If she can't hang with a diminished version of Kubika, the writing will be on the wall for her and the W series as a whole.
And if she should happen to beat him and prove competitive with Russel, I'd gladly concede and say I was wrong.

I'm just wondering what more can Williams do for her unless it means placing her in the Prema F3 team because she can't race the Williams F1 car, she doesn't have the necessary super license points.

Question with that though is what'd be in it for Prema?

Money from Williams.

More than what they'd get off Merc, RB, Ferrari or Renault for taking one of their drivers?

Prema also have a championship to win too. I know they're miles ahead of anyone else but would they risk hiring a driver with Chadwick's record when they could probably get a better credentialed driver & get more money for doing so?

Jezza13 wrote:

pokerman wrote:

Jezza13 wrote:

pokerman wrote:

F1 MERCENARY wrote:Well Chadwick is saying she wants more from Williams and Honestly, Williams should pit her against Kubika to see who does better.
If she can't hang with a diminished version of Kubika, the writing will be on the wall for her and the W series as a whole.
And if she should happen to beat him and prove competitive with Russel, I'd gladly concede and say I was wrong.

I'm just wondering what more can Williams do for her unless it means placing her in the Prema F3 team because she can't race the Williams F1 car, she doesn't have the necessary super license points.

Question with that though is what'd be in it for Prema?

Money from Williams.

More than what they'd get off Merc, RB, Ferrari or Renault for taking one of their drivers?

Prema also have a championship to win too. I know they're miles ahead of anyone else but would they risk hiring a driver with Chadwick's record when they could probably get a better credentialed driver & get more money for doing so?

Prema run Sean Geleal in F2 do I need to say much more?

Also the money required for F3 is not exactly massive I would have thought for a F1 team?

As it stands Williams alliance with Jamie Chadwick doesn't seem to go much beyond some kind of promotional angle for Williams themselves?

Well, we'll soon know how good Chadwick is, she's been nominated as one of the four drivers in contention for the Autosport Awards this season, along with Enaam Ahmed (Japanese F3), Johnathan Hoggard (BRDC F3) and Ayrton Simmons (BRDC F3)

If she beats them, perhaps the naysayers will STFU

Battle Far wrote:Well, we'll soon know how good Chadwick is, she's been nominated as one of the four drivers in contention for the Autosport Awards this season, along with Enaam Ahmed (Japanese F3), Johnathan Hoggard (BRDC F3) and Ayrton Simmons (BRDC F3)

If she beats them, perhaps the naysayers will STFU

How will her winning that mean we know how good she is? Shes not a unknown quantity anyway. We have seen her perform across a variety of series for a few years now.

Battle Far wrote:Well, we'll soon know how good Chadwick is, she's been nominated as one of the four drivers in contention for the Autosport Awards this season, along with Enaam Ahmed (Japanese F3), Johnathan Hoggard (BRDC F3) and Ayrton Simmons (BRDC F3)

If she beats them, perhaps the naysayers will STFU

Do they have a race-off or something?

Battle Far wrote:Well, we'll soon know how good Chadwick is, she's been nominated as one of the four drivers in contention for the Autosport Awards this season, along with Enaam Ahmed (Japanese F3), Johnathan Hoggard (BRDC F3) and Ayrton Simmons (BRDC F3)

If she beats them, perhaps the naysayers will STFU

In today's political and sociological climate I'd say it's a given she'll get the award. That doesn't necessarily mean she isn't the best of them though.

Covalent wrote:

Battle Far wrote:Well, we'll soon know how good Chadwick is, she's been nominated as one of the four drivers in contention for the Autosport Awards this season, along with Enaam Ahmed (Japanese F3), Johnathan Hoggard (BRDC F3) and Ayrton Simmons (BRDC F3)

If she beats them, perhaps the naysayers will STFU

In today's political and sociological climate I'd say it's a given she'll get the award. That doesn't necessarily mean she isn't the best of them though.

I was looking for a way to say that very thing Covalent without coming across all misogynistic.

Jezza13 wrote:

Covalent wrote:

Battle Far wrote:Well, we'll soon know how good Chadwick is, she's been nominated as one of the four drivers in contention for the Autosport Awards this season, along with Enaam Ahmed (Japanese F3), Johnathan Hoggard (BRDC F3) and Ayrton Simmons (BRDC F3)

If she beats them, perhaps the naysayers will STFU

In today's political and sociological climate I'd say it's a given she'll get the award. That doesn't necessarily mean she isn't the best of them though.

I was looking for a way to say that very thing Covalent without coming across all misogynistic.

Oh thanks

Personally I don’t care if she wins the Autosport awards, Nobel Peace Prize and the Eurovision Song Contest. Unless she actually does something of note in a car, it won’t mean anything.

Awards are just gestures of appreciation. Some are earned, some are political.

Covalent wrote:

Jezza13 wrote:

Covalent wrote:

Battle Far wrote:Well, we'll soon know how good Chadwick is, she's been nominated as one of the four drivers in contention for the Autosport Awards this season, along with Enaam Ahmed (Japanese F3), Johnathan Hoggard (BRDC F3) and Ayrton Simmons (BRDC F3)

If she beats them, perhaps the naysayers will STFU

In today's political and sociological climate I'd say it's a given she'll get the award. That doesn't necessarily mean she isn't the best of them though.

I was looking for a way to say that very thing Covalent without coming across all misogynistic.

Oh thanks

Nah i'm not saying you did but then again i'm probably on the wrong side of the social fence to be able to make that call.

Banana Man wrote:Personally I don’t care if she wins the Autosport awards, Nobel Peace Prize and the Eurovision Song Contest. Unless she actually does something of note in a car, it won’t mean anything.

Awards are just gestures of appreciation. Some are earned, some are political.

I always thought the Autosport Awards were just a desperate attempt by them and Silverstones blue blazer brigade to get a few relevant drivers to turn up for their annual dinner. Isn't that why we have the annual tweets by the likes of Croft, Warwick, Brundle, etc. whinging about Hamilton's lack of respect for the F1 establishment because he invariably gives it a miss?

I see theirs even talk about Chadwick being nominated for a BBC Sports Award. Where she stands a good chance given her social background and attendance at the same private schools as those making the awards

Inappropriate post removed.

Exediron wrote:

Battle Far wrote:Well, we'll soon know how good Chadwick is, she's been nominated as one of the four drivers in contention for the Autosport Awards this season, along with Enaam Ahmed (Japanese F3), Johnathan Hoggard (BRDC F3) and Ayrton Simmons (BRDC F3)

If she beats them, perhaps the naysayers will STFU

Do they have a race-off or something?

"The four will now undertake fitness and simulator assessments before a two-day test at Silverstone in various machinery, including a Formula Two car. The winner will be announced in December."

2020 Season lineup announced:

https://wseries.com/w-hub/w-series-anno ... 20-season/

I'm pleased to see a couple of younger drivers in the new entrants.

Herb wrote:2020 Season lineup announced:

https://wseries.com/w-hub/w-series-anno ... 20-season/

I'm pleased to see a couple of younger drivers in the new entrants.

Without going too deep into a critique of the announcement, a couple of observations of note.

1) Every driver from the top 12 is back

2) Not one driver from the bottom eight managed to be good enough to make it into the 2020 series despite apparently all attempting.

Jezza13 wrote:

Herb wrote:2020 Season lineup announced:

https://wseries.com/w-hub/w-series-anno ... 20-season/

I'm pleased to see a couple of younger drivers in the new entrants.

Without going too deep into a critique of the announcement, a couple of observations of note.

1) Every driver from the top 12 is back

2) Not one driver from the bottom eight managed to be good enough to make it into the 2020 series despite apparently all attempting.

Well I guess it shows an improvement in the quality of drivers for next year then?

Herb wrote:2020 Season lineup announced:

https://wseries.com/w-hub/w-series-anno ... 20-season/

I'm pleased to see a couple of younger drivers in the new entrants.

I would actually have liked to see more to be honest. Much of the discussion around this series has been around what it is trying to achieve and its still a little unclear to me. 2 more drivers to follow apparently. No sign of Legge which makes you wonder about the selection criteria - I can't believe she wouldn't have been one of the quickest.

Chadwick defending her title is interesting. Could be seen as no win - if she wins again, what will it prove that she hasn't already, and if she gets beaten, it will undermine her '19 win. Tricky. She was good this year but less convincing as the season progressed and the likes of Visser, Powell and Kimilainen found their feet , plus Garcia should only get better. Chadwick will have to improve at the same rate the other did. I got the feeling she hit the ground running, giving her an early edge, but the others - all without recent single-seat experience - started to catch up.

Some of the new names are familiar to me, some not. Wonder what's behind the Spanish contingent? I wonder if Carrasco's success on 2 wheels is a factor.

I was thinking about this last night and the W-Series should allow the top 2-5 in F2 to compete with them.
This way there's a better way to better assess the level of talent and ability in this series.

F1 MERCENARY wrote:I was thinking about this last night and the W-Series should allow the top 2-5 in F2 to compete with them.
This way there's a better way to better assess the level of talent and ability in this series.

I think it's positioned below F2 on the ladder - they're using an F3 car. Competing with the top of F3 would make more sense to me.

I'll be honest, I have a hard time taking W Series seriously as a feeder series with the previous champion returning to race for another season. I'm not going to write it off entirely quite yet, but it's not looking good. Best case is that they realized there were few enough races and the series generally wasn't together enough to place at least the champion into a higher series so they're essentially giving the whole thing another go this season, worst case is that they are going the separate championship route.

The younger new entrants (and Garcia from last season) might still have a chance if they prove themselves, at least.

F1 MERCENARY wrote:I was thinking about this last night and the W-Series should allow the top 2-5 in F2 to compete with them.
This way there's a better way to better assess the level of talent and ability in this series.

Being 'allowed' doesn't come into it, there's nobody in W Series anyone in F2 is seriously interested in. If an F2 team did offer one of these women a drive, she'd turn her back on W-Series in a heartbeat, without a second thought.

Remmirath wrote:I'll be honest, I have a hard time taking W Series seriously as a feeder series with the previous champion returning to race for another season. I'm not going to write it off entirely quite yet, but it's not looking good. Best case is that they realized there were few enough races and the series generally wasn't together enough to place at least the champion into a higher series so they're essentially giving the whole thing another go this season, worst case is that they are going the separate championship route.

The younger new entrants (and Garcia from last season) might still have a chance if they prove themselves, at least.

Although not good for Chadwick, I think having her around for another year will be a useful barometer for the rest. If she wins a second title they're all done for, but if one of the younger drivers (Garcia, Koyama, etc.) beats her to the title this year that will look good for them.

I don't particularly like the champion sticking around, either.

Exediron wrote:

F1 MERCENARY wrote:I was thinking about this last night and the W-Series should allow the top 2-5 in F2 to compete with them.
This way there's a better way to better assess the level of talent and ability in this series.

I think it's positioned below F2 on the ladder - they're using an F3 car. Competing with the top of F3 would make more sense to me.

I don't believe it's even a full blown F3 car that they use, if you allowed a top F3 driver to do a one off race it would quite embarrassing for the rest of the field I think.

Remmirath wrote:I'll be honest, I have a hard time taking W Series seriously as a feeder series with the previous champion returning to race for another season. I'm not going to write it off entirely quite yet, but it's not looking good. Best case is that they realized there were few enough races and the series generally wasn't together enough to place at least the champion into a higher series so they're essentially giving the whole thing another go this season, worst case is that they are going the separate championship route.

The younger new entrants (and Garcia from last season) might still have a chance if they prove themselves, at least.

With the series having super license points it's possible to get a F1 license without having to compete against the mainstream drivers.

pokerman wrote:I don't believe it's even a full blown F3 car that they use, if you allowed a top F3 driver to do a one off race it would quite embarrassing for the rest of the field I think.

https://wseries.com/w-hub/tatuus-f3-t-318-tech-spec/

It is fully homologated to the latest FIA F3 spec.

As for the rest, I think a top F3 driver would likely be the best driver in the field, but it would be an interesting demonstration to see by how much. All I was saying is that a top F2 driver is an unfair comparison since W Series isn't even positioned as being equal to F2.

pokerman wrote:With the series having super license points it's possible to get a F1 license without having to compete against the mainstream drivers.

That depends how many it ends up being. The articles I've seen state '12-18 for the champion'. If it's 12, it will be impossible to earn a Super License from W series points alone, even for a three-time back-to-back champion.

Exediron wrote:

pokerman wrote:I don't believe it's even a full blown F3 car that they use, if you allowed a top F3 driver to do a one off race it would quite embarrassing for the rest of the field I think.

https://wseries.com/w-hub/tatuus-f3-t-318-tech-spec/

It is fully homologated to the latest FIA F3 spec.

As for the rest, I think a top F3 driver would likely be the best driver in the field, but it would be an interesting demonstration to see by how much. All I was saying is that a top F2 driver is an unfair comparison since W Series isn't even positioned as being equal to F2.

pokerman wrote:With the series having super license points it's possible to get a F1 license without having to compete against the mainstream drivers.

That depends how many it ends up being. The articles I've seen state '12-18 for the champion'. If it's 12, it will be impossible to earn a Super License from W series points alone, even for a three-time back-to-back champion.

Indeed and I went further to say that they're even a long way behind the level of a top F3 driver.

I had it my head that the champion gets 15 points and then you could speculate from there that second place would get about 10 points, that being the case then it would be doable to get a F1 license.

From Legge:

"Congrats to the 6 new #WSeries drivers who've just been announced today. I went to Almeria last month to do a few laps in the W Series car, and was impressed! I have some calendar clashes but I wish all at W Series the best - drivers and staff alike!"

some interesting wording there

"to do some laps" - so just to have a go or to actually be part of the selection process
"I have some calender clashes" - as in even if they did want me, I couldn't do it?

hmmm.

Anyway, I've still got an open mind on the series. Reading through this thread backs up my feeling though that to silence the detractors, they need to be a LOT clearer on their mission statement and objectives. What's said and what's printed, the selection process - doesn't all quite join up.

Is it just to raise the profile of female drivers as a concept?
Is it just to give up and coming drivers a higher profile platform?
Is it to give second chances to drivers who's careers have stalled?
Is it just a commercial enterprise?
Is it try and progress the careers of existing drivers to get them into higher spec series ?
Is it to try and kick-start more females into driving at grass roots level?
Is it just to generate funds for the winning driver?

Nothing really wrong with any of these, just be good to know what the primary purpose is. Certainly without knowing that you can't say if its a success.

The site says the

"We're here to shake up the industry, push aside stereotypes and change the face of motorsport, quite literally."

The founder has said

"W Series is a mission-driven programme with the ultimate goal of putting female drivers on elite motorsport grids,"
"Beyond that it aims to raise the profile of support professions in the garage, workshop and lab to female students to encourage girls into STEM [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] subjects at school and college."


DC meanwhile:
" to establish a competitive and constructive motorsport habitat in which our drivers will be able to equip themselves with the necessary skill-set eventually to move on up to high-level, mainstream racing series and compete with the best male drivers on equal terms"

Adrian Newey:
"creating a platform on which women drivers can improve by racing one another and from which they may then springboard their careers forward and, yes, ultimately race successfully in F1"


I've also found the following in other articles - NOT direct quotes:

"The objective is not only to perform a platform for talented women racers but to punch a sustainable hole in F1’s exclusively male club by placing a woman on the F1 grid. "
"At the heart of W Series' DNA is the firm belief that women can compete equally with men in motorsport. However, an all-female series is essential in order to force greater female participation"

DOLOMITE wrote:From Legge:

"Congrats to the 6 new #WSeries drivers who've just been announced today. I went to Almeria last month to do a few laps in the W Series car, and was impressed! I have some calendar clashes but I wish all at W Series the best - drivers and staff alike!"

some interesting wording there

"to do some laps" - so just to have a go or to actually be part of the selection process
"I have some calender clashes" - as in even if they did want me, I couldn't do it?

hmmm.

Anyway, I've still got an open mind on the series. Reading through this thread backs up my feeling though that to silence the detractors, they need to be a LOT clearer on their mission statement and objectives. What's said and what's printed, the selection process - doesn't all quite join up.

Is it just to raise the profile of female drivers as a concept?
Is it just to give up and coming drivers a higher profile platform?
Is it to give second chances to drivers who's careers have stalled?
Is it just a commercial enterprise?
Is it try and progress the careers of existing drivers to get them into higher spec series ?
Is it to try and kick-start more females into driving at grass roots level?
Is it just to generate funds for the winning driver?

Nothing really wrong with any of these, just be good to know what the primary purpose is. Certainly without knowing that you can't say if its a success.

The site says the

"We're here to shake up the industry, push aside stereotypes and change the face of motorsport, quite literally."

The founder has said

"W Series is a mission-driven programme with the ultimate goal of putting female drivers on elite motorsport grids,"
"Beyond that it aims to raise the profile of support professions in the garage, workshop and lab to female students to encourage girls into STEM [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] subjects at school and college."


DC meanwhile:
" to establish a competitive and constructive motorsport habitat in which our drivers will be able to equip themselves with the necessary skill-set eventually to move on up to high-level, mainstream racing series and compete with the best male drivers on equal terms"

Adrian Newey:
"creating a platform on which women drivers can improve by racing one another and from which they may then springboard their careers forward and, yes, ultimately race successfully in F1"


I've also found the following in other articles - NOT direct quotes:

"The objective is not only to perform a platform for talented women racers but to punch a sustainable hole in F1’s exclusively male club by placing a woman on the F1 grid. "
"At the heart of W Series' DNA is the firm belief that women can compete equally with men in motorsport. However, an all-female series is essential in order to force greater female participation"

I suppose keeping their mission statement ambiguous could allow them to claim the series has been a success no matter the outcome.

If the series, after a few years, doesn't manage to help a female get into a drive in a top series at least they can say, with some justification I suppose, that they "Raised the profile of women in motorsport" & "Unearthed great young talent that might not have otherwise had the chance to showcase their talents on the world stage"

More from W Series:
"To be clear, and to clarify some media speculation on the subject, I’m not now referring to Katherine Legge or Michelle Gatting. A very experienced driver, Katherine performed extremely well at Almeria, as you’d expect, but, despite being favourably impressed by the quality of the W Series operation, she decided to remain focused on her USA-based racing programme in 2020 and as such hasn’t put her name forward to race with us next year. Michelle performed extremely well at Almeria too, but also elected not to race with us next year but instead to concentrate on other series."


They've also clarified that from next year the Champ won't be allowed to stay on defend their title due to them now having Super License point eligibility.

The drives are fully funded by the series, so wonder what Chadders is going to do with her half a million quid!

DOLOMITE wrote:More from W Series:
"To be clear, and to clarify some media speculation on the subject, I’m not now referring to Katherine Legge or Michelle Gatting. A very experienced driver, Katherine performed extremely well at Almeria, as you’d expect, but, despite being favourably impressed by the quality of the W Series operation, she decided to remain focused on her USA-based racing programme in 2020 and as such hasn’t put her name forward to race with us next year. Michelle performed extremely well at Almeria too, but also elected not to race with us next year but instead to concentrate on other series."


They've also clarified that from next year the Champ won't be allowed to stay on defend their title due to them now having Super License point eligibility.

The drives are fully funded by the series, so wonder what Chadders is going to do with her half a million quid!

Put it with the millions mummy and daddy have already given her and her brother to indulge them in their hobby?