Written by Bruna Brito, Edited by Tanishka Vashee
What’s W Series?
Defined as a “ free-to-enter championship, launched in October 2018, that provides equal opportunities for women and eliminates the financial barriers that have historically prevented them from progressing to the upper echelons of motorsport.” The mission is to provide acceptance that female and male racing drivers can compete with one another on equal terms when given the same opportunities.
Calendar
After the start of the pandemic, the 2020 championship was canceled, so now for 2021, we will have 8 rounds, starting with a double in the Red Bull Ring, with Alice Powell, as the very first winner of the season, and Jamie Chadwick in the second round. Followed by a win for Alice Powell again, in Silverstone.
This weekend we will have the return of the competition, in Hungaroring, in the city of Budapest for race number four of the season. The next ones will be Spa- Francorchamps, as the same weekend as F1, a favorite for many W Series drivers then Zandvoort, alongside Formula 1 again, in September, Circuit of the Americas, first-ever race outside of Europe.
Finishing the season in Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez, on 29 and 30th of October.
Drivers
Abbie Eaton – Escurie W (@AbbieEaton44 )
29 years old – British
She started at age 15 in a regional competition as a British GT and in 2018 started as a test driver for the Amazon’s The Grand Tour series.
This is her first year of the W Series.
Abbie Eaton
Abbi Pulling – Puma W Series Team (@AbbiPulling )
18 years old – British
One of the youngest in the category, she made her debut at the race in Silverstone this year and finished in 8th place. Abbi is being mentored by Alice Powell, who is also a part of the W Series! She has competed in Ginetta Juniors, GT5, British F4, and Formula Renault.
Abbie Pulling
Alice Powell – Racing X (@alicepowell )
28 years old – British
She was the youngest Formula Renault UK driver and the first woman to win the championship. The first woman to score in GP3. She participated in the 2020 season of Formula E as well as the W Series. She won the first race of that year in the W Series.
Alice Powell
Ayla Agren – M.Forbes Motosports (@AylaAgren )
27 years old – Norwegian
She raced the Formula Ford-spec F1600 and Indy. After a few years, she was forced to stop her career due to lack of funding, currently, in addition to the W Series, she is a spotter for the Indy 500. This is the first time she will be participating in the series.
Ayla Agren
Beitske Viesser – M.Forbes Motosports (@beitskevisser )
26 years old – Dutch
She raced in Formula Renault 3.5 and the European Le Mans Series where she was part of the only all-female team to race as Le Mans 24h.
Beitske Viesser
Belen Garcia – Scuderia W (@ beautifications)
27 years old – Spanish
She started her career relatively late compared to other drivers, at age 15, when she got her chance in Kart. She raced for Spanish F4 winning the Women’s F4 Championship. This is her first year at the W Series.
Belen Garcia
Bruna Tomasseli – Veloce Racing (@brunatomaselli )
23 years old – Brazilian
She raced in the Brazilian Formula Jr. and in the South American F4. She moved to the US where she ran a USF2000 National Championship. An avid Ferrari fan, a Tifosa if you will.
Bruna Tomasseli
Emma Kimilainen – Ecurie W (@EmmaKimilainen)
31 years old – Finnish
She started in Kart at age 3, that is, she learned to drive before speaking, and competed in the Formula Masters Series and Formula Palmer Audi. For financial reasons, she stayed away from the tracks for 4 years.
Emma Kimilainen
Fabienne Wohlwend – Bunker Racing (@FWohlwend5)
23 years old – Liechtensteiner
Her family put the whole house on wheels so the girl could live her dreams, she participated in the Italian F4, Audi TT Cup, and European Ferrari Challenge.
Fabienne Wohlwend
Irina Sidorkova – Academy (@IraSidorkova )
18 years old – Russian
Dubbed the baby of W Series, she competed in several national categories. She also raced F4 in Russia and Spain, took second place in the last race, a great performance for a rookie.
Irina Sidorkova
Jamie Chadwick – Veloce Racing (@JamieChadwick )
24 years old – British
The 2019 W Series champion. She was also the first woman to win a British GT and a British BRDC F3. In 2020 she was announced as a development driver in F1 by the Williams team.
Jamie Chadwick
Jessica Hawkins – Racing X (@1JessicaHawkins )
26 years old – British
At age 12 she started in British Karting and raced in several categories after that. Jessica is also a stunt driver, has recorded films such as Fast and Furious and 007. She is also part of the Aston Martin F1 team as an ambassador.
Jessica Hawkins
Marta Garcia – Puma W Series Team (@martarcing )
20 years old – Spanish
She started karting at the age of 6, won the CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy and the Trofeo delle Industrie. She took a good amount of victories in the first-ever edition of the W Series and finished fourth in the standings.
Marta Garcia
Miki Koyama – Sirin Racing (@mkhouse001 )
23 years old – Japanese
Miki had to work hard to get into motorsport. She has been working since she was a teenager to make her racing career a reality. She raced in Japanese F4, and won 3 years in a row in the Kyojo Cup.
Miki Koyama
Nerea Marti – Academy (@nereamarti32)
19 years old – Spanish
Another baby! She was the first woman to win the Valencia Community Karting Championship in 2018. She also raced in the Rotax España Series and the Spanish F4.
Nerea Marti
Sabré Cook – Bunker Racing (@Sabre_Cook )
27 years old – American
She started small in the kart and at the age of 13, the same year she had already taken the title of TAG Junior. She was the first woman to win the SKUSA Pro Tour National Championship.
Sabré Cook
Sarah Moore – Scuderia W (@ smgirlracer26)
27 years old – British
She raced and won titles at the Ginetta Junior Championship and several other categories in the UK. Sarah plays a very important role for the LGBTQ+ community within motorsport.
Sarah Moore
Vittoria Piria – Sirin Racing (@VickyPiria)
27 years old – Italian
Vicky made history by being the first woman to race in GP3, she also raced in Euro F3 and other categories. She has been nicknamed the busiest W Series driver, for she makes a lot of television appearances and is Ferrari’s first ever driving instructor.
Vittoria Piria