i wasn't sure how their relationship was with F1. because there not a feeder series but they were on the F1 weekend program. because of they were on the F1 weekend. im not sure how series's that arent F2 or F3 get on there
l was a morally great idea but now in hindsight finalincally disastrous. because i completely understand why they gave free drives out. because she wanted 16/20 of the most talented female drivers on that grid. not what has been an annoyance to me in getting to F1 that it can more often be the size of your funding not the size of your talent that matters. like felipe Drugovich should be in F1 but couldnt bring necessary funding
the lack of progression is a big failure for that series. Jamie Chadwick shouldve been given a shot a F3 & then W series wouldve had the credibility it needed
Note to moderators: I don't know if this is possible, but if so can you add the below to my previous post. I double tapped enter trying to add paragraphs and it published my post.
W Series was a support series that pay F1 to race as part of an F1 race weekend the same as Porsche Supercup did/does and various local series do. While it did sit on the overall ladder to F1, as a series below and outside of F3 & F2 it was never really a feeder series.
The 'lack of progress' is to be expected, it as a series cannot expect to progress drivers to a higher level when it chooses to accept only the least capable driver available, especially when they self-identify themselves as a level of series it is not close to being on par with. W Series was a sub-par F4 level series using a Formula Regional car, a car that it's drivers were never close to maximising the performance of. W Series has no credibility because of the decisions it made that stop it being credible.
It's not even that they wanted the most talented female drivers either, since those would never contemplate taking part in W Series instead seeking to take part in real series instead, it's that they wanted the drivers that best fit their criteria of which ability was only a small part. During the selection process ideal candidates with relevant experience were rejected whilst drivers who had no open-wheel experience at all were accepted. This led to a field spread that was huge between the front and rear.
To get to F1 you need both talent and sufficient backing. The problem with the W Series lot is they lack both the talent and the funds to proceed. The series propaganda may have framed it as them lacking funding being the reason they haven't progressed but the best driver out of them was a driver from a very privileged background; who has been given $1.5m from W Series, who has rich parents, who had sponsors, that was part of an F1 team's young driver development scheme and had funding from it, yet she wasn't good enough to be a front runner at the upper end of Formula Regional.
Chadwick has done nothing at all to warrant a F3 drive, yet apparently was offered one for 2022 but turned it down citing a BS lack of funding excuse (see above), and has in interviews claimed she would only accept drives in good teams
