Jamie Chadwick has been crowned 2022 WSeries Champion at early end of season due to financial challenges to fund and race the final 2 Rounds at Formula One United States Grand Prix and Formula One Grand Prix of Mexico City.
Having won WSeries Championship in 2019, 2021, and 2022, Jamie Chadwick takes all experience gained racing the female single-seater Series to move her career forwards in an industry dogged with financial barriers to race.
Recognition and acknowledgement on what WSeries has achieved over 3 seasons is based on the organization’s team of people pushing to dissolve the real-life-daily-challenges which limit and exclude talented females to gain seat-time on track for their professional development as drivers.
For starters, total of 18 female driver’s in 2019, 2021, and 2022 have gained huge opportunity to experience and learn how to up their game, racing at circuits staffed by highly knowledgeable engineers, mechanics and crew in cars comparable to race for Formula One Super License points.
Second, these woman have proved their worth to compete in WSeries, undergoing rigorous selection process which identifies strengths and weaknesses of each driver prior to racing, from which skills are refined during actual track time. The women selected possess talent plus mental tenacity to produce results within highly competitive environment, which not only elevates their respective racing careers, but also breaks tradition of gaining seat in Formula racing.
Third, the fact that WSeries covers all expenses for women to compete Rounds 1-6 as category within DTM Series in 2019 and 2021, and support category in Formula One Grand Prix’s in 2022 challenges conventional route of those who have deep pockets to fund driver’s to race F1.
Fourth, levelling the playing field on track means talent, mental fortitude and strength of character to race under pressure acts as founding principle of WSeries from which sustainability of elevating young female drivers can be endorsed by sponsors of equal moral standing.
There is no doubt, financial challenges remain to realize WSeries principle of thought to action on track, one season to the next. And, there remains unknown factors on how to lock in scale and scope of Series within objectives to elevate driver’s capabilities on familiar and unfamiliar track circuits.
All of which brings discussion full circle. WSeries has set precedent on providing 18 females opportunity to race the Series Tatuus F3 T-318 cars within highest profile Formula racing Championships. Like it or not, these women would not have gained such race experience if WSeries had not taken up the mantle and initiated the Championship in 2019, which in turn has raised the profile of women racing FIA discipline.
Most significantly, 2022 WSeries top 3 of Jamie Chadwick, Beitske Visser and Alice Powell have banked huge learning curves over past 3 seasons to push their racing careers in upward trajectory. Equally, younger group of driver’s of Abi Pulling P4, Belen Garcia P5, Marta Garcia P6, and Nerea Marti P7 have proved beyond reasonable doubt that seat-time on track is worth gold for driver’s wanting to further their knowledge racing single-seaters.
Rounding out the relevance of WSeries as feeder Series for Formula racing, has to be the fact that 6 driver’s competing each season are rookies selected through process based on strategy to develop female talent at present and for the future. Chloe Chambers from America, Juju Noda from Japan, Emely de Hues from Netherlands, and Bianca Bustamante from Philippines all scored points in debut 2022 WSeries Championship.
Yes, pivot on leveraging funding remains key for WSeries 2023, which as it happens were the #1 ingredient for the all-female Championship in the first place.
Header photo: Jamie Chadwick 2022 WSeries Champion. Image: WSeries.
Words: Sharon Cox.
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