W Series, partnered by Acronis, has announced that reigning champion Jamie Chadwick will defend her title in 2021.
The international single-seater motor racing championship for female drivers only also recently announced a provisional W Series 2021 race calendar of eight Formula 1 support races, and today also revealed the drivers that will vie for Chadwick’s title.
“People are most aware of me because of W Series and the last two years have been a life-changing whirlwind,” said Chadwick “Winning the inaugural W Series Championship in 2019 was the biggest stepping stone in my career, providing me with so many amazing opportunities.
“The same has been true for lots of the drivers from our maiden on-track season and it just proves that W Series’ mission to provide greater opportunities for women in motorsport is working.
“W Series’ new partnership with Formula 1 from 2021 is a ringing endorsement of the series and a testament to the immense skill of all the drivers. I am relishing the prospect of racing alongside them on some of the greatest circuits in the world next year in a bid to defend my W Series title.
“FIA Super Licence points will be on the line and, having already had a taste of the F1 world in my role as development driver for the Williams F1 team, I am determined to earn as many as possible and move a step closer to my dream of competing in Formula 1.”
A busy 2021 awaits Chadwick, who will also be competing in the inaugural Extreme E for the British Veloce Racing outfit.
“Our inaugural on-track champion, Jamie Chadwick, and 2019 runner-up and 2020 W Series Esports League winner, Beitske Visser, are sure to be very competitive again, but many of the drivers have made good progress,” added Dave Ryan (Racing Director, W Series).
“I expect our six rookies to shine too, and we are looking forward to finding out how they will cope with the pressure of competing against our established high performers. One of the great things about any sport is its unpredictability, so I am sure we will see lots of surprises along the way.”
Official test ready ✅ @VeloceRacingXE ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/ISru3aTkQk
— Jamie Chadwick (@JamieChadwick55) December 17, 2020
Confirmed W Series drivers:
Jamie Chadwick, UK, 22
Beitske Visser, Netherlands, 25
Alice Powell, UK, 27
Marta García, Spain, 20
Emma Kimiläinen, Finland, 31
Fabienne Wohlwend, Liechtenstein, 23
Miki Koyama, Japan, 23
Sarah Moore, UK, 27
Vicky Piria, Italy, 27
Tasmin Pepper, South Africa, 30
Jessica Hawkins, UK, 25
Sabré Cook, USA, 26
Ayla Ågren, Norway, 27
Abbie Eaton, UK, 28
Belén García, Spain, 21
Nerea Martí, Spain, 18
Irina Sidorkova, Russia, 17
Bruna Tomaselli, Brazil, 23