Sources have said the new category would be aimed at drivers in their teens, as there is a general feeling within Formula 1 that the women who enter W Series are already too old for a realistic chance of moving up to F1's feeder categories or to the main championship itself. Teams already involved in Formula 2 and 3 will reportedly step into this new series and hopefully help promote drivers up the ladder.
W Series has recently cancelled its remaining three races in the United States and Mexico and declared Jenner Racing's Jamie Chadwick champion for the third season in a row. This is "Due to recent unforeseen circumstances outside of W Series' control,” as they had not received funding contracted to them by a sponsor, according to series founder and chief executive Catherine Bond Muir.
I think we need to be doing more, with Formula 1 and Liberty doing so well, it’s not a lot for them to be able to help out in that space
Lewis Hamilton
Many people are currently questioning why Liberty Media and Formula 1 are attempting to start a new series rather than directly aiding W series during its time of struggle. Lewis Hamilton, a pioneer of diversity in motorsport, is very open about his opinion that more should be done to support women feeding into the formula series, saying “I think we need to be doing more, with Formula 1 and Liberty doing so well, it’s not a lot for them to be able to help out in that space." To put the current state into perspective, a woman has not participated in a Formula One race since Lella Lombardi at the 1976 Austrian Grand Prix.
There are already concerns surrounding commercial and broadcast competition that may bubble up between the two series, for example, what would this mean for Sky’s broadcast deal with the W Series moving forward? There are worries that the two series will end up pitted against each other when the focus should be on promoting greater female participation in motorsport.
