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Formula One F1 – Spanish Grand Prix – Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen speaks to second placed Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton after winning the Spanish Grand Prix. REUTERS/Nacho Doce
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Formula One F1 – Spanish Grand Prix – Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen speaks to second placed Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton after winning the Spanish Grand Prix. REUTERS/Nacho Doce
The demise of the W Series, an all-female racing competition, has shaken the motorsport world to its core. Amid this disheartening news, Lewis Hamilton has emerged as a beacon of hope, blasting his fellow F1 drivers for their lack of support. The seven-time F1 champion has been credited with being the lone figure championing the beleaguered series.
The W Series started in 2019 with the aim of increasing the involvement of women in motorsports. Despite its success in propelling the careers of several female racers, with a failure to secure sponsorship funding for the 2023 season, the series was forced into administration. This came on the back of the cancellation of the last two rounds of the 2022 season due to financial reasons, leaving its future uncertain.
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Formula One F1 – Monaco Grand Prix – Circuit de Monaco, Monaco – May 25, 2023 Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton during a press conference ahead of the grand prix REUTERS/Stephane Mahe
Lewis Hamilton, a vocal advocate of the W Series, has been critical of the lack of support from Formula One and the FIA. “There has not been enough focus on women in the sport the whole of F1’s life and there is not enough emphasis on it now,” Hamilton said. “And they are not magnifying enough the great work that is being done there”. Despite the financial hurdles, Hamilton believes that the shortfall in funds is not insurmountable given the grand scheme of F1 sponsorships and the amount of money going around.
This damning criticism from Hamilton raises a serious question – where are the other F1 drivers? Max Verstappen, a fierce rival on the track, has been notably silent. While it’s unclear if Verstappen or any other drivers were asked to support the W Series, their lack of public support has been called out by Hamilton’s staunch stance.
F1 teams like Red Bull, Ferrari & Mercedes are some of the wealthiest in the sport. Even with the latest budget cap, these top teams have a budget of $135 million in 2023. In contrast, the W Series suffered from a lack of financial support for even sustenance, let alone car development leading to its shutdown.
It’s an unfortunate contrast when considering the vast resources available to top F1 teams. While the W Series is defunct, F1 has launched the F1 Academy as an alternative racing series for females. So will that get a better treatment from the F1 world?
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F1 Academy: A silver lining or an indictment of the status quo?
In the wake of the W Series’ folding, the FIA has launched the all-new women-only F1 Academy series, funded directly by the FIA rather than by external sponsorship forces. Spanish driver Marta Garcia currently leads the inaugural championship after winning three of the first nine races.
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Formula One F1 – Monaco Grand Prix – Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo, Monaco – May 28, 2023 Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in action as he leads at the start of the race REUTERS/Piroschka Van De Wouw
While the establishment of the F1 Academy may seem like a silver lining, it also underscores the systemic issues that Hamilton has pointed out. The requirement for a women-only series funded directly by the FIA indicates a lack of support from external sponsors, mirroring the struggles faced by the W Series.
It’s clear that the demise of the W Series is not a failure of the series itself, but a failure of the motorsport community to rally around it. As Alice Powell, who finished second in the 2021 W Series season, defended the competition, “W Series DID NOT fail. It inspired and created opportunities not just for its drivers, but for many young female racing fans too”.
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In conclusion, the W Series’ demise has exposed the motorsport community’s lack of support for women in the sport. It serves as a reminder that more needs to be done to provide equal opportunities for all. Lewis Hamilton’s vocal support provides a beacon of hope, but it’s clear that the responsibility should not fall on one person alone. The rest of the F1 community must step up and play their part if true equality in motorsport is to be achieved.
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