Jamie Chadwick won the first W Series race of the weekend and took the lead in the title battle with Alice Powell which will be decided on Sunday.
Chadwick took the lead off the line from pole-winner Abbi Pulling. Moore and Kimilainen, who lined up third and fourth, also passed the pole-winner.Further back a dramatic rise up the order from Belen Garcia over the opening five minutes saw her snatch second place having started sixth. But she didn’t keep the position for long, soon slipping back down the order as she was passed by Kimilainen and then Pulling.
Moore had her own problems, also seeming to fade through the race, and was passed by Powell, who took Garcia the next time around. Powell was soon up to fourth, having moved up six places in three laps.
Abbie Eaton was forced to pull over to a marshal post with a mechanical failure with there were 19 minutes remaining. That brought out yellow flags in sector three which were cleared within three laps.
Following a somewhat processional middle of the race, the action intensified over the final laps. Jessica Hawkins was able pass Belen Garcia with seven minutes to go, leaving Garcia – who seemed to be struggling for grip as her tyres aged – victim to another pass from Marta Garcia. However, as the Puma driver made the pass, she clipped the rear of Hawkins’ car and was sent into a spin.
In the final two minutes of the race, Pulling was shown the black and white flag as a warning for track limits violations, having run wide too many times as she tried to hunt down Kimilainen. Powell, still aiming for the podium, was in her own pursuit of her driver protégée Pulling, whose disrespect of track limits continued to attract the attention of the stewards.
Powell passed Pulling on the final lap, securing a podium finish from 10th and keeping her title hopes alive. While Chadwick’s win means she gains the upper hand in the title fight, Kimilainen’s second place was not enough to keep her in the running.
Chadwick will start on pole for the second race of the weekend tomorrow, Abbi Pulling getting a second chance at a front row start alongside her in the title-decider.
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W Series race results
| Position | Driver | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jamie Chadwick | Veloce |
| 2 | Emma Kimilainen | Ecurie W |
| 3 | Alice Powell | Racing X |
| 4 | Abbi Pulling | Puma |
| 5 | Beitske Visser | M.Forbes |
| 6 | Jess Hawkins | Racing X |
| 7 | Sarah Moore | Scuderia W |
| 8 | Nerea Marti | W Academy |
| 9 | Fabienne Wohlwend | Bunker |
| 10 | Miki Koyama | Sirin |
| 11 | Sabré Cook | Bunker |
| 12 | Belen Garcia | Scuderia W |
| 13 | Caitlin Wood | W Academy |
| 14 | Vicky Piria | Sirin |
| 15 | Marta Garcia | Puma |
| 16 | Ayla Agren | M.Forbes |
| 17 | Bruna Tomaselli | Veloce |
| DNF | Abbie Eaton | Ecurie W |
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W Series
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- “It would be a massive shame if we lost W Series” – Horner
Denis (@denis1304)
24th October 2021, 9:24
@Hazel Southwell
F1 results have countless charts, statistics, comparisons, … Here, not even laps driven or times or gaps or anything besides order.
Hazel Southwell (@hazelsouthwell)
24th October 2021, 10:04
@denis1304 In the context of junior series (which W Series is, it’s equivalent to regional F3 and is of course intended to progress drivers’ careers and develop their skills, not be an endpoint) there’s significantly less interest in that sort of data. Although I’d find it fascinating myself to get into a deep-dive (and occasionally do, especially with F2/3) there’s really not that much audience for it.
I can certainly think about an analysis piece comparing the first and second seasons, for example, during the off-season.
Denis (@denis1304)
24th October 2021, 10:16
I’m not expecting same details for W series as there is for F1 (I was exaggerating to prove a point), but winners time and gaps should be minimum (and current points standings).
Thanks
GeeMac (@geemac)
24th October 2021, 10:26
@denis1304 Those details are available in the Autosport report of the race.
John H (@john-h)
24th October 2021, 10:25
Would love to see Jamie at least get a test in an F1 car or even an F2 drive just to see how quick she is. With respect, Susie Wolff was not on the same level as Chadwick is driving and let’s just say had a helping hand getting to run in that Williams. Jamie deserves so much more, she’s proving consistently how quick she is.
GeeMac (@geemac)
24th October 2021, 10:31
Over the first two seasons of W Series Chadwick, Kimilainen and Powell have proved themselves to be head and shoulders above the rest of the field.
For W Series to become a genuine and reputable rung on the motorsport ladder the powers that be in W Series need to be pushing for these three to move on up the ranks so they can grow outside the W Series bubble. FIA F3 is the logical next step and I’d be keen to see how these three would perform there as it is a super competitive series.