Jamie Chadwick - First competitive female driver in F1?
Discussion
jsf said:
They are not good enough. What is so hard to understand.
One day we may see a good enough female driver, in which case they would be a marketing goldmine, none of these women are that.
The whole things not good enough.One day we may see a good enough female driver, in which case they would be a marketing goldmine, none of these women are that.
If people were clamouring to tune in to watch, and the women were good enough to migrate to F2, money would come one way or another.
No one's going to invest heavily and long term in a racing series that exists just 'to make things more equal' because the viewers and head hunters won't repay that investment by showing sufficient interest.
And now the farce of someone winning the series because the series ran out of money... Whoever has been watching this season is going to find it harder to take it seriously and care about next season. She would almost certainly have won anyway, but that's really not the point.
There needed to be a proper progression path for the championship winner. Telling them the prize for winning is that they get to drive again next year is tantamount to telling someone if they get straight As in their GCSEs then they'll be allowed to re-sit them next year as a reward!
Also, the live coverage disappeared behind the paywall far too soon - the brand was nowhere near the point where they could get away with that - and this was exacerbated by the highlights on free-to-air being in a stupid early slot on Sunday. It's like they wanted it to fail.
Also, the live coverage disappeared behind the paywall far too soon - the brand was nowhere near the point where they could get away with that - and this was exacerbated by the highlights on free-to-air being in a stupid early slot on Sunday. It's like they wanted it to fail.
I can see this series announcing a years hiatus 'due to financial uncertainties etc', and then no one finding the money or energy to bother getting it going again.
Clearly something fundamental has to happen to give the series enough relevance and value for people to bother to watch, especially (as above) to pay to watch. I'd personally be a lot more interested if the winner was guaranteed F3, then F2 practice time. That would at least put the winner into the realm of proper formula racing and it would be interesting to see if any of them step up as a result of that greater level of competition.
I know the idea is that the series will encourage higher numbers of girls into motorsport over the years and increase the talent pool in the future, which is lovely. But someone actually has to bankroll that exercise for a decade+ to even know if there are signs it might be starting to have a positive effect.. And to do that the racing and results have to be meaningful TODAY. And they're just not.
Clearly something fundamental has to happen to give the series enough relevance and value for people to bother to watch, especially (as above) to pay to watch. I'd personally be a lot more interested if the winner was guaranteed F3, then F2 practice time. That would at least put the winner into the realm of proper formula racing and it would be interesting to see if any of them step up as a result of that greater level of competition.
I know the idea is that the series will encourage higher numbers of girls into motorsport over the years and increase the talent pool in the future, which is lovely. But someone actually has to bankroll that exercise for a decade+ to even know if there are signs it might be starting to have a positive effect.. And to do that the racing and results have to be meaningful TODAY. And they're just not.
Sandpit Steve said:
Diderot said:
How do we know JSF? When was the last time you saw a female driver in an FP1 session?
Last lady in an FP1 session was Susie Wolff, for Williams in 2014. 
rjfp1962 said:
Am I right in saying it may not return next year either due to lack of funding?
It won't return due to massive debts, not a lack of funding. It was a money pit, as expected.How the idiots that put money in to this series thought it was going to be a success since it only included driver not even close to be being good enough to progress I do not know. £7.5m (likely more now) of debt for what is essentially a single season considering there has only been around 20 races is a large hole.
Dal3D said:
Catherine Bond Muir the CEO was on TV explaining that the funding they had in place to end the season was pulled out from them at the last minute meaning they couldn't finish the season. She also said that they made the decision to safeguard the beginning of next season and hopefully get all the funding more in place.
The driver's don't need and sponsorship to join the championship as it's all paid for by the WSeries so probably quite a bill.
It rather sound like Catherine is talking a load of excrement, the financial report of the series from 2021 shows major financial issue. One sponsor running for the hills would not cause a series to be in the dire situation W Series finds itself in.The driver's don't need and sponsorship to join the championship as it's all paid for by the WSeries so probably quite a bill.
I can only hope that the third parties are paid before anyone involved in W Series sees a single penny because it is pretty clear Catherine and every one else involved in running this sinking ship do not have a clue on how to run a business.
Diderot said:
I think the very least the FIA could do is to underwrite this season and keep it going. It’s a bloody disgrace given the money washing around. What “unimaginably” short termism is going on here after everything we have all been through over the past 5 years(me too) (and before the suffragettes)? Women can and absolutely should compete at the highest echelons of motorsport, and as they did in previous generations, in F1. It’s a meritocracy not what your gender is. Give Jamie and her peers a bloody chance. If they can’t compete then that’s a different matter. Give this amazing generation of women drivers a chance.
On another note, surely all the F1 teams should step in as a gesture, as they all profess to ‘race as one’. Let them all allow women drivers to do F1 FP1s and put the money where their mouths is. Of course they won’t.
What kind of signal does this lamentable state of affairs send out the next generation? - oh yes, if you’re a woman there’s no money in it, no sponsorship and and no *real* interest from the FIA.
Sorry state of affairs IMO.
The FIA does not fund series that fall under it's umbrella, so why it would bail out a money pit series that has nothing to do with it? W Series is not a FIA series & never has been. It always annoys me when people blame the FIA, have you ever seen any FIA affiliation with this series at all? The FIA logo on any of their official documents?On another note, surely all the F1 teams should step in as a gesture, as they all profess to ‘race as one’. Let them all allow women drivers to do F1 FP1s and put the money where their mouths is. Of course they won’t.
What kind of signal does this lamentable state of affairs send out the next generation? - oh yes, if you’re a woman there’s no money in it, no sponsorship and and no *real* interest from the FIA.
Sorry state of affairs IMO.
No, because it is not a FIA series. It is overseen by Motorsport UK (formerly MSA) yet the FIA are the ones slated for the commercial failure even though regulatory bodes are not responsible for funding. They are all responsible for funding their own commercial survival.
Jamie & her peers has had countless chances, they have failed to justify financial subsidisation. Jamie did FREC & was dire, some of the other drivers did GP3 and were not good. If they can’t compete then that’s a different matter. They have already proven that yet people like you still complain. Jamie did FREC in 2020 and despite driving against driver that were both younger and less experienced she was embarrassed by them. Even Sophia Flersch performed better and she had never driven that car before.
If you’re a crap driver there’s no money in it & no sponsorship. There is no interest from the FIA as they don't get involved in such matters even if ignorant people erroneously claim they do.
It all feels a bit old fashioned. You only have to look at sports car racing, to see that there's no issues with female drivers competing against blokes and beating them on equal terms. The Iron Dames project is doing much more for women in motorsport than the W Series has achieved. You could easily see Pin, Wadoux or Florsch getting a hypercar seat in the not so distance future.
RobGT81 said:
It all feels a bit old fashioned. You only have to look at sports car racing, to see that there's no issues with female drivers competing against blokes and beating them on equal terms. The Iron Dames project is doing much more for women in motorsport than the W Series has achieved. You could easily see Pin, Wadoux or Florsch getting a hypercar seat in the not so distance future.
The segregation has never sat comfortably with me. I get that they wanted an all female series for good reasons and to hopefully have a good effect on attracting more females to the sport - but the ends don't justify the means. Not when it comes to introducing segregation in the 21st century, to a sphere of sport that has coped very well without segregation.She was being interviewed on Sky F1 last night, and she has likeable and intelligent manner, and a very good racing CV, but not yet good enough to be knocking on the door of F1.
However, it would seem her next step is with Andretti in the US. Be interesting to see how that program develops.
However, it would seem her next step is with Andretti in the US. Be interesting to see how that program develops.
Dynion Araf Uchaf said:
mw88 said:
Wonder if they have enough cash to give her the prize money?
suspect it was cancelled so they don't have to.The prize money will be ring fenced. If it isn't they would truly be playing with fire - they would effectively have invited all those women to spend a year of the lives and accept the dangers of racing for a prize that didn't exist..
Koln-RS said:
She was being interviewed on Sky F1 last night, and she has likeable and intelligent manner, and a very good racing CV, but not yet good enough to be knocking on the door of F1.
However, it would seem her next step is with Andretti in the US. Be interesting to see how that program develops.
Indy Lights? That’s an interesting direction. However, it would seem her next step is with Andretti in the US. Be interesting to see how that program develops.
RacerMike said:
Stunning financial decision from Jamie. £1.5m in 3 years! Wish I could go and race cars and make even a tenth of that. Think she bought her house in London with the first prize, and I guess the remaining £1m will do well in investments!
It's $1.5m. Can't imagine anyone buying a house in London with $500k.carl_w said:
RacerMike said:
Stunning financial decision from Jamie. £1.5m in 3 years! Wish I could go and race cars and make even a tenth of that. Think she bought her house in London with the first prize, and I guess the remaining £1m will do well in investments!
It's $1.5m. Can't imagine anyone buying a house in London with $500k.TheDeuce said:
RobGT81 said:
It all feels a bit old fashioned. You only have to look at sports car racing, to see that there's no issues with female drivers competing against blokes and beating them on equal terms. The Iron Dames project is doing much more for women in motorsport than the W Series has achieved. You could easily see Pin, Wadoux or Florsch getting a hypercar seat in the not so distance future.
The segregation has never sat comfortably with me. I get that they wanted an all female series for good reasons and to hopefully have a good effect on attracting more females to the sport - but the ends don't justify the means. Not when it comes to introducing segregation in the 21st century, to a sphere of sport that has coped very well without segregation.Diversity and inclusion by deliberate separation and exclusive focus on specific groups isn't the best way forward.
the W series was so artifical its no suprise its suffered. A fake attempt to engineer an equal status to F1 in media terms anyway.
Women can race in any series they want and people will sit up and notice when they have a few titles.
Womens football on the other hand was always going to develop a seperate series to the mens.
Women can race in any series they want and people will sit up and notice when they have a few titles.
Womens football on the other hand was always going to develop a seperate series to the mens.
RacerMike said:
carl_w said:
RacerMike said:
Stunning financial decision from Jamie. £1.5m in 3 years! Wish I could go and race cars and make even a tenth of that. Think she bought her house in London with the first prize, and I guess the remaining £1m will do well in investments!
It's $1.5m. Can't imagine anyone buying a house in London with $500k.Don't know what $1.5m buys you in London, but she doesn't have to live in London either.
Durzel said:
RacerMike said:
carl_w said:
RacerMike said:
Stunning financial decision from Jamie. £1.5m in 3 years! Wish I could go and race cars and make even a tenth of that. Think she bought her house in London with the first prize, and I guess the remaining £1m will do well in investments!
It's $1.5m. Can't imagine anyone buying a house in London with $500k.Don't know what $1.5m buys you in London, but she doesn't have to live in London either.
RacerMike said:
Stunning financial decision from Jamie. £1.5m in 3 years! Wish I could go and race cars and make even a tenth of that. Think she bought her house in London with the first prize, and I guess the remaining £1m will do well in investments!
Clearly didn't want to spend that money on a GP3 drive then!Gassing Station | Formula 1 | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff