As the age old saying goes, Seeing is believing, when W Series first began in 2018, their aim was to break the barriers holding women back from progressing in motorsport, with the eventual goal to see more women competing at higher levels.
Although a huge feat to take on, W Series has already come so far. Not only did they really spark the push for more female representation within motorsport, but in only their third season (their 2020 season was postponed due to the pandemic) they become Formula One's support series at eight different Grand Prix across the globe.
W Series' popularity became undeniable after their race at Silverstone became the most watched motorsport event in the UK, other than Formula One, since 2014. But despite having a large following and interest, W Series still ran into significant financial issues this September.
These developments have meant that the series has had to curtail their season three races short of their season finale, in hopes of securing their long term future.
Despite not having completed the entire ten races that were scheduled for this season, the six that have been raced and won are enough to officially crown Jamie Chadwick the W Series champion for the third consecutive season. Whilst Dutch driver, Beitske Visser secured second place in the championship, with Britain's Alice Powell taking the final podium position in third.
Images: W Series Champion Jamie Chadwick, Catherine Bond Muir and FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem
Chadwick took to social media to express her gratitude to the series, "Firstly I want to thank W Series for the opportunity they have given me. It's been life changing and I am so grateful to everyone that has been involved and supported me to this point. We all wanted to finish this season on track, but I am very proud to be a three time champion."
It is no secret that motorsport is extremely expensive, and as W Series is still a start-up company the likelihood of running into financial issues was expected. However, Catherine Bond Muir, W Series' chief executive utilised this situation to highlight the extreme frustration, and the frequency in which a lack of funding occurs within women's sport itself, "It is well-documented that women’s sports receive far less funding than its male counterparts, and W Series is no exception."
Bond Muir went on to assure her confidence within W Series' future, "While we are all incredibly disappointed that this decision has had to be made in the short term, we remain positive about the future of W Series in the long term."
As Susie Wolff has expressed, W Series and it's mission to propel women into higher levels of motorsport is vital for future generations, "If a little girl is interested in racing, and she switches on the TV and watches racing, she won't see any role models. So why should she believe that she can do it when she doesn't see anyone else like her doing it?"
We as fans of motorsport should all be campaigning for W Series' survival. After all, seeing is believing.
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