Why you should support W Series

W Series recently entered the final stages of its 2021 season with a double header at Spa and Zandvoort . With two rounds to go in the U.S, I thought now would be a great time to look back at the season so far and convince those of you who are reading this that are unsure about W Series as to why you should get on board.

For those of you reading this wondering what exactly W Series is, I've put a handy link explaining everything you need to know just here:

DriveTribe

What is W Series? | DriveTribe

Here's everything you need to know about the ground-breaking racing series.

W Series, what's the point?

Many of you on the fence may be asking this question - and it's an understandable one. When W Series was first announced, it got some criticism thrown its way. This was mainly down to the segregation aspect of the series as it separated the women from the men. But what is important to keep is mind is that this was done because the current state of motorsport is one where women simply don't get the same opportunities as men do both on and off the track, driving and working on the car and behind the scenes.

Whilst things are starting to improve in this regard, there's still some way to go and W Series highlights many of the women that have been or would have otherwise been overlooked. Naturally, it'd be better to live in a world where this didn't happen but that is not yet the case. W Series therefore is necessary at least until this becomes a reality. But this is all the more reason to support W Series. The more support they get, the sooner other mainstream sports like Formula 1 and Formula E will take notice and begin to give female racing drivers and others the chances that they weren't getting before. Rookies of W Series like Irina Sidorkova and Nerea Marti therefore have a chance of getting into F1 on merit sometime in the next few years - something that is also helped by both drivers getting a guaranteed drive in W Series for two years.

As a result, we get to see some truly great racing drivers from a variety of backgrounds and age groups fighting it out in close wheel to wheel action on some of the best racing circuits in the world. As luck would have it, this acts as a lovely segway into my next section.

The Drivers

Eighteen women line-up on the W Series grid for each race in 2021 and every one of them is hungry to prove themselves. There are some names on the grid you might recognize like former Formula 3 Regional driver and 2019 W Series Champion Jamie Chadwick, or Alice Powell, Vicky Piria and The Grand Tour's Abbie Eaton. Other names belong to rookies who you should also take the time to know like Irina Sidorkova, Nerea Marti and Caitlin Wood.

Either way, these drivers have given us some great racing moments so far in 2021 - and the Driver's Standings prove this. With two rounds to go, the two main title contenders, Jamie Chadwick and Alice Powell, sit on the same number of points with countback on results dictating that Powell is currently leading the Championship. Finland's Emma Kimiliainen is sitting in third and if some trouble comes Powell and Chadwick's way, Emma may yet upset the apple cart. Emma has also shown that she's a force to be reckoned with on track, as she proved in difficult conditions back in Spa. Meanwhile, the battle for fourth is between at least five drivers, three of which are rookies. Finally, all of the drivers bar one have at least a single point to their name, perfectly demonstrating the volatile and action packed nature of a W Series race weekend.

This fact is even more impressive when one considers that three of those drivers have only driven in two of the six races this year. This is due to the rotation of a race seat between these drivers to ensure that the maximum number of women get the chance to prove their abilities in the car. If Formula 1 was this tight points wise and you were unsure about watching it, this would definitely get you over the line.

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W Series Interview - Nerea Martí | DriveTribe

The 2021 W Series driver and I caught up recently to chat about racing, the upcoming season and more.

Wheel to Wheel Action

Despite the fact that the W Series cars have less power and no DRS, that hasn't resulted in dull racing. Take a look at the highlights from Spa if you don't believe me. (Spoilers, you'll see some simply lovely overtaking manoeuvres by both Emma Kimilainen and Marta Garcia on parts of the track where you didn't think overtaking was possible).

Be it close action between Kimilainen and Sidorkova in Austria or some sublime moves by Abbi Pulling in Zandvoort or switches for the lead between Powell and Chadwick throughout the season, there's something for everyone at every venue.

Whilst DRS could certainly help W Series, there's still plenty of action for you to sink your teeth into which is exactly what every racing fan wants. As W Series is still figuring out what works best in terms of its format, etc. now is the perfect time to get on board because things will only keep improving from here, especially with regards to the action out on track.

Future Potential

W Series is only in its second year in 2021. Consequently, there's plenty of room for expansion and improvement in the coming years. We've already been lucky to see such a talented field of drivers thus far, so who knows who we'll get to see in due course and how pleased we'll all be that we did when we see these drivers at the top of their game in other motorsport series, be it F1, IndyCar or something else, in the future.

Teams have also been introduced this year with the possibility of a Constructor's Championship taking place in the 2022 season. This is another great way to improve the competition and raise the stakes. There is no better time to get behind W Series and start watching it. And if you're still on the fence, why not try watching it next time out in Austin? What's the worst that's going to happen? It won't bite you.

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What's it like being a W Series Mechanic? | DriveTribe

I chatted with Cleo Collins recently to talk about W Series, travelling and much more.

In the meantime between now and the next W Series race, be sure to check out the W Series page here on DriveTribe through the link at the top of the page where you can find analysis, interviews with drivers, mechanics and team principles and more.

What do you reckon, are you going to check out W Series next time out? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.