F1 women's racing series should not be 'lasting very much,' feels FIA President

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem recently spoke about F1's women's racing series, the 'W series,' and what it aims to achieve. The support series started in 2019 and was successful as many female racing drivers participated. Sulayem expects the series to be merged with the mainline events.

Unfortunately, the 2022 W-series season was cut short due to financial issues and to secure investments for the 2023 season. Speaking to the media, Sulayem explained the true aim of the W-series and how the governing body wants more women to join and race in the Formula series. He said:

"As long as we have women's series, I don't think women's series should be lasting very much – it can only be a production to bridge to the other level. If we just keep it, that's it, I don't think we will really be... We want to be fair with women in sport."

The FIA president wants the W series to be sustainable so that more women can join. Once this is successful, the W series will be slotted between F3 and F2. Sulayem believes the W series should not last too long because he and other heads of the sport want women to directly join the Formula series and race on a much higher level. He further added:

"The main objective to me is to make it sustainable. Once you make this series sustainable, I believe then more women will come, and then they will be in the middle of the F3 and F2, and then we know that this is the bridge."

F1 will also promote women in the Formula series by creating a new category for them in 2023, the 'F1 Academy.' Several young female drivers will prepare and develop to further join higher levels of competition like W series, F3, F2, and F1.

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W series driver optimistic about F1's all-women racing series

Jessica Hawkins, a W series driver and Aston Martin ambassador, spoke about how beneficial the F1 Academy will be for future female racing drivers. As a female racing driver, she knows best how difficult it can be to enter higher levels of the Formula Series. Speaking to the media, she said:

“Any championship that helps females out I think should be welcomed, and we should do everything that we can to welcome it. I also would like to think that it would work alongside W Series. I would hate to think they would ever be competing against each other, because that’s not what we’re fighting for here. It’s not who’s got the best championship, it’s how do we work together, because we’re all trying to achieve the same thing. I think it’s a positive thing.”

The upcoming all-female racing series will reportedly use Tatuus T421, a car used in F4. They will mainly be targeted towards young female drivers who are aspiring to enter the top Formula series. As mentioned by Hawkins, the F1 Academy racing series will not compete against the W series but will work towards the same goal of developing female drivers to race in F1.