OK so I know this is a bit controversial but maybe it will help some Women get into F1. There are 5 British drivers!!!! All 18 will be driving identical spec F3 cars and the first race is at Hockenheim. It's on C4 at 2:45pm to 4pm. Last years F3 quali fastest time was 1m32.284s. Could be interesting.
I think Jamie Chadwick is going to clean up in this series, far better CV than her rivals. Of course some of the younger drivers might have raw talent they can display, but suspect Chadwick's experience in similar machinery will count a lot.
Are any of the drivers driving a cliche pink car? Not having a dig. Just seems too marketed when you see a female driver in a series with a pink car. I hope they all take it seriously and wish them all the best to go through the ranks.
I think they are taking it very very seriously. The 18 drivers have been selected on merit. They had trials and test sessions to find the best drivers. There are only 6 races in the series this year and the winner gets $500,000!!! For pink cars see Force India / Racing Point. I think it's very hard and expensive for anyone to get to F3 as it is. I think it's even more difficult for a woman to get to F3 let alone F1 so anything that helps to promote women in motorsport be that drivers or engineers is a good thing. I hope the W series give the women a more publicity enabling them to get a shot at F1. There should be a level playing field, so ignoring pay drivers, I hope that some women get into F1 on merit.
None of their racing records particularly stand out for me, will be interesting to see where this formula and its winners stand in 5 years. They're the latest gen of F3 cars so speed wise they're quite high up the ladder.
Don't knock it, I could be wrong but this could be a good deal more entertaining than F1 just now, mind you wouldn't take much.
Qualifying has now taken place. It was a wet quali I believe. Here are the results: please log in to view this image Well done to Jamie Chadwick. I can't believe their own web site till doesn't have quali results, had to use Twitter. Plus no live timing and no tv or live stream of quali. Hopefully they sort that soon.
Coverage was a bit iffy. I did expect better from DC. i.e. when in the pits interviewing the drivers there was a bad echo. There was very very little timing info on screen, I didn't even see lap times, maybe that was on purpose? Then at the end of the race very quick chat with winner, showed podium then 'see you in 2 weeks'!!!! Thing they needed a bit more time at the end to at least interview top 3 and maybe the 2 non finishers. They need the drivers personalities to be shown and the future sponsors need to see their marketing possibilities. Anyway it was a reasonable race with close racing and considering they have has so little time in the cars especially on slick tyres I think they all did very well, well baring the driver who seemed to forget that they needed to brake to get round the corner!!!
I saw the first laps up to the safety car coming in and the first few corners after. There were some basic mistakes made by many but they are young. That said, I think this just demonstrates the need for this series, give the women the opportunity to hone their skills. I do think the lights out was sudden but they should all have been ready to react, clearly for some it seemed a surprise. The laps I saw were entertaining. I think they carried a lot of weight on their shoulders. I believe it is going to take some years for this series to be taken seriously by F1, inspiring the next generation to really work hard at this. It will be interesting to see if they improve over the coming races, i.e. showing they are putting the experience into practice. Does make you realise how good some of the F1 drivers are.
In the Times today there is talk of the W Series taking place before the F1 races (could even be in Aus next year). Points towards a super license too. Liberty feel that it would match with their values as well. Guess all depends of this first series. A decision at the end of the season on whether to allocate points towards a super license retrospectively.
This is true, I found out during Baku that if you look closely enough you can see the evaporation of the water in paint as it dries. As to the W series, due to their smaller stature they have a natural advantage over men when it comes to weight, yet none of them have made it. If they were any good they'd be in better series. Yeah, the racing might be fun to watch, but then watching hired kart racing is too, and neither as much fun as banger racing. Just a PC publicity gimick for sub-par drivers, I don't rate any of them, if they get to F1 on the back of this they'll get humliated. Not saying women can't race in F1 competitively, just not these lot. Juju Noda, on the other hand, is being noticed because she is seriously quick.
I guess it's a bit chicken and egg. In that until a woman with the talent makes it into F1 it's not going to inspire young girls to get into motor racing. I think it's also a matter of odds, in that there will probably be millions of boys who want to race and start in karting. There are less than 5 that make F1 a year. So odds of a boy starting in Karts and getting to F1 are probably worse than winning the lottery. For a young girl there will probably only be a few thousand that start in Karting so for 1 to actually beat the odds and make it to F1 takes a mammoth effort not to mention talent. Then there are the established sponsors who provide the money to enable some kids to progress through the ranks, they don't seem to be providing sponsorship to many, if any girls. Maybe that's due to lack of skill maybe just lack of risk taking. To me motor racing is one sport where women and men should be able to compete equally. At the moment maybe the W series women wont have the skills to get to F1 during their careers but maybe they will inspire other young girls to try and achieve F1. It might take another 10 years but hopefully this is the start of women getting chances to earn a place in F1.
There is an argument for the series to encourage young girls/women to come through. Your argument is, I believe, if a talent races in a mediocre field it will be a case of the lowest common denominator, stifling the talent rising. By contrast a platform where they know they can compete will attract more talent. The key I think, is not to segregate the women entirely, when a talent is spotted then they must be encouraged not to compete only against women but against the men too. More opportunity will translate to more talent hopefully. Imagine a future Verstappen beaten by a woman.
For clarity I am in favour of the W series but encouraging exceptional talent to then branch out to compete in other series.
talent and money, rich girls just aren't that into it. No one starts racing in a team, I don't think anyone actively discourages girls from racing, on the flip-side I don't think anyone actively encourages boys either, racing is either something you want to do or you don't, and you then have to hope you have parents willing to spend the $$$. the thing I hate about it the most is it's being done in the name of equality, when it is the complete opposite.
I have 3 daughters, all different with different talents. Having achievable goals is part of the process of motivation and I see it as providing that rare talent with a platform to grow. I wouldn't see anything they do as in the name of equality. It is only the media that makes us think that. None will be racing cars though.
