Money woes cut short W Series

LONDON - The all-female W Series cancelled its remaining three races in the United States and Mexico for financial reasons on Monday and declared Britain's Jamie Chadwick champion for the third season in a row.

The series had been due to support Formula One's United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, on Oct 23, before ending its season with two races at Mexico City's Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez at the end of October.

But owing to the cash crunch, on top of the devaluation of the British pound, its event at the recent Singapore GP has become the last race of the season.

"Due to recent unforeseen circumstances outside of W Series' control, we had not been in receipt of contracted funds due to us," said W Series founder and chief executive Catherine Bond Muir.

"Therefore, we have been forced to make the unfortunate decision not to complete our scheduled calendar this season."

Bond Muir said she was still positive about the long-term future of the series, and wanted to remain on the F1 support programme.

"We've just had to call it because obviously there are deadlines on payments and things that need to be done... we just had to make a pragmatic call today," she added.

"Going forward, the big message is that I am extremely confident that W Series will be here next year."

Chadwick was 50 points clear of Dutch rival Beitske Visser at the top of the standings after seven races.

The W Series, which is free to enter, had net liabilities of £7.5 million (S$10.7 million) as of the end of 2021, according to statements filed with Companies House.

The series debuted in 2019 with the aim of getting a woman driver into F1, with Italy's Giovanna Amati, who took part in the 1992 season with Brabham, the last woman to have participated in the top echelon of motor racing.

Bond Muir told the BBC recently that the W Series' financial woes highlighted the struggles faced not just by women in motor sports but also in general.

"We're an all-female motor racing series and we all know the problems that female sport has when you compare it to its male counterparts.

"Women's sport has, in a very high-profile way, lagged behind," she said.

The former intellectual property solicitor also told ESPN: "The main thing I sort of want to get across is that this isn't the most unusual circumstance I've found myself in. We've struggled from the word go. You all know the stories about women sport. The female rugby players go in economy, the men go in first class.

"There's only equality and parity in tennis because Billie Jean King's been fighting for 50 years for it. So I have no doubt that in the future, it will be a lot easier for us.

"But I think it's not just a motor sport issue, I think it's a female in sport issue." REUTERS