Hamilton wants more women racers

LONDON • Lewis Hamilton has called for more women in motor racing after the all-female W Series announced on Thursday it will be supporting Formula One at eight grands prix next season.

There are no female drivers in F1, with Italian Lella Lombardi the last to compete in a race in 1976, and women racers are a rarity in the junior series that feed into the top category.

Hamilton said the partnership with W Series, which uses Formula Three cars and aims to help women up the motor sports ladder, was a positive step.

"When people talk about diversity, people often think that we're talking about having more people of colour," said Hamilton, F1's only black driver, ahead of this weekend's Turkish Grand Prix.

"It's not just that. It is having more women involved. At the moment it is a male-dominated sport and that does need to change."

No details were given about which grands prix the W series would race at, although founder and chief executive Catherine Bond Muir told reporters F1's season-opener in Australia in March was probably too early.

This year's cancelled W Series championship would have supported grands prix in Mexico and the United States in October and that could again be a possibility.

The series started last year but cancelled racing this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

"When we promised that W Series would be bigger and better in the future, partnering with Formula One was always our ultimate objective," said Bond Muir.

"There is no doubt that, now that W Series will be run alongside and in collaboration with Formula One, our global reach, impact and influence will be increased significantly."

Britain's Jamie Chadwick was the inaugural champion of the series, which featured six rounds supporting the German Touring Car Championship and paid out US$500,000 (S$674,000) to the winner.

Top drivers in the series will be eligible for points towards an FIA super licence needed to race in F1.

F1's managing director for motor sports Ross Brawn said W Series had been "a beacon to many" since the championship started.

"We believe it is incredibly important to give everyone the chance to reach the highest levels of our sport," he added.

"Their partnership with Formula One next season shows our determination and commitment to showcase their exciting series and the importance of building greater diversity across the sport."

REUTERS

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on November 14, 2020, with the headline Hamilton wants more women racers. Subscribe