The W Series, the international single-seater motor racing championship for women, today confirms that its 2022 season will be curtailed and the final three races of its scheduled 2022 season – at Circuit of The Americas, Austin, Texas, USA (21-22 October) and a double-header at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City, Mexico, on 28-30 October – will not go ahead.
As confirmed during the most recent W Series race event at Marina Bay Circuit in Singapore on 30 September – 2 October in support of the Formula 1® Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix 2022, the required funding due to the business from a recent contracted investment was not received, forcing the remaining three races of the 2022 calendar into doubt.
Since then, the decision has been made to focus on the longer-term fundraising process to enable the longevity and financial health of W Series into 2023 and beyond, and enable cost cutting by cancelling the remaining races in Austin and Mexico City.
The premature end to the 2022 season means that Jamie Chadwick (Jenner Racing, 24, UK) – who sits 50 points clear in the drivers' championship standings – is crowned W Series Champion for a record-breaking third time. Her incredible W Series career, including 11 wins, 10 pole positions and 18 podiums across three seasons (2019, 2021 and 2022 – with no racing in 2020 due to the pandemic), has shown her to be the class of the field since the debut of the series in 2019, and the perfect springboard to the next step in her motorsport career, to be announced in due course.
"As a start-up in only our third season of racing, we are always working hard to ensure regularity of funding as we continue to grow our business... However, while we are all incredibly disappointed that this decision has had to be made in the short term, we remain positive about the future of W Series in the long term. It is well-documented that women's sports receive far less funding than its male counterparts, and W Series is no exception.."
- Catherine Bond Muir, Chief Executive Officer, W Series
Despite the curtailment of the 2022 season, thanks to overwhelming support since the news of the series' financial difficulties was announced, and the subsequent ongoing fundraising process, the future of W Series promises to be brighter.
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