Free to enter, and it paid
Competitors brought no sponsorship and paid no entry fee. A US$1.5 million prize fund went to every driver on the grid, from $500,000 for the champion down to $7,500 for the reserves.
The all-female championship that raced, then folded
W Series
Free to enter, $1.5 million in prize money, identical cars drawn at random, and a support slot on the Formula 1 bill — W Series ran three seasons, put its drivers on the world's biggest stage, and collapsed owing £23 million.
2019First season, folded in 2022
3Championships, all won by Jamie Chadwick
$1.5MPrize fund, shared by every driver
DriversEntrantsF1 support billRandom chassis drawLegacy
What was W Series?
W Series was an all-female single-seater racing championship that ran for three seasons — 2019, 2021 and 2022 — before entering administration in 2023 and being liquidated. It was free to enter, with drivers selected on merit rather than budget, and paid out a US$1.5 million prize fund to every competitor. All cars were mechanically identical Tatuus chassis run by a single operator, and from 2021 the series raced as a Formula 1 support category. Jamie Chadwick won all three championships. Formula 1 launched F1 Academy as a replacement in 2023.
- Seasons raced
- 2019, 2021 and 2022
- Champion
- Jamie Chadwick, all three titles
- Entry fee
- None — the series was free to enter
- Status
- Folded; assets liquidated, IP sold to Formula E
01 — How it began
How W Series began.
W Series was launched publicly on 10 October 2018, created in response to how few women were reaching the top levels of motorsport — Formula 1 above all. Scottish businessman Sean Wadsworth was its main financier, and Catherine Bond Muir, a solicitor who had helped facilitate the sale of Chelsea F.C. to Roman Abramovich, was named chief executive.
Its shareholders included former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard and engineer Adrian Newey, and former McLaren sporting director Dave Ryan was appointed race director. The proposition was unusual: no entry fee, no requirement to bring sponsorship, identical cars, and prize money for every driver on the grid.
The first season ran in 2019 at six European circuits. 2020 was cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic. From 2021 the series moved onto the Formula 1 support bill, and in 2022 it collapsed mid-season.
- Launched
- 10 October 2018
- Chief executive
- Catherine Bond Muir
- Main financier
- Sean Wadsworth
- Shareholders included
- David Coulthard and Adrian Newey
- Race director
- Dave Ryan, formerly McLaren sporting director
- Seasons raced
- 2019, 2021, 2022 — 2020 cancelled by COVID-19
- Car
- Tatuus F3 T-318 with an Autotecnica-tuned Alfa Romeo 1.8-litre turbo, 270 hp
- Tyres
- Hankook, all three seasons
02 — The essentials
What made W Series different?
Not just an all-female grid — a deliberate attempt to remove money from the equation entirely.
One team ran every car
There were no rival outfits. Hitech Grand Prix operated all twenty cars in 2019 with fifty staff; Double R Racing took over as technical partner in 2021. Commercial entrants were sponsors, not competing teams.
Chassis and engineers drawn at random
In 2019 drivers were randomly assigned a chassis and an engineer at every event. From 2021 the drivetrains of the top three finishers were swapped with three randomly drawn cars that had finished between sixth and fourteenth, purely to keep the field level.
A Formula 1 support slot
From 2021 the series raced on Grand Prix weekends, putting an all-female grid in front of Formula 1 crowds for the first time.
03 — Race weekend format
A race weekend, decoded.
Practice
Two 30-minute sessions on Friday in 2019, cut to one from 2021 when qualifying moved to Friday as well.
Qualifying
A single 30-minute session. At the two double-header rounds, the second grid was set by each driver's second-fastest lap — a rule F1 Academy still uses today.
Race
Thirty minutes plus one lap, with points to the top ten. Only two weekends in the series' history ran two races: Austin in 2021 and Miami in 2022.
From 2020 the champion earned 15 FIA Super Licence points — but they were rescinded if she chose to stay in the series rather than move up, which was the whole point of the exercise.
04 — How points were scored
W Series points system.
| Pos | Points | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 25 | 6th | 8 |
| 2nd | 18 | 7th | 6 |
| 3rd | 15 | 8th | 4 |
| 4th | 12 | 9th | 2 |
| 5th | 10 | 10th | 1 |
Prize money, by position
- 1st — $500,000. 2nd — $250,000. 3rd — $125,000.
- 4th to 10th — $100,000 down to $40,000.
- 11th to 14th — $30,000 down to $15,000.
- 15th to 18th and reserves — $7,500 each.
- Ties were settled on race wins, then second places, then thirds.
Several drivers — Alice Powell, Abbi Pulling and Beitske Visser among them — later said the 2022 prize money was never paid. None of them appeared on the administrators' list of creditors.
05 — Season by season
Series folded · last race Singapore, October 2022 Every W Series season.
| Season | Races | Champion | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 6 races | Jamie Chadwick | 110 points, decided in the final race by a margin of 10. Six European circuits, standalone events. |
| 2020 | Not held | — | Cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic before a wheel was turned. |
| 2021 | 8 races | Jamie Chadwick | First season on the Formula 1 support bill. The Mexico finale fell away when F1 postponed the Grand Prix, replaced by a second race at Austin. |
| 2022 | 7 of 10 races | Jamie Chadwick | 143 points, margin 50. Abandoned on 10 October after Singapore, with a race at Austin and a Mexico double-header cancelled for lack of money. |
Last updated: 7 September 2026. The Singapore round of 2022 was the last W Series race ever held. Chadwick was declared champion for the third time, and the series' chief executive said publicly that she expected it to return in 2023. It never raced again.
06 — From 2018 to today
W Series timeline.
2018
Launched
The series is announced publicly on 10 October, with David Coulthard and Adrian Newey among its shareholders.
2019
First season
Six races at European circuits on the Tatuus–Alfa Romeo F3 T-318, all twenty cars run by Hitech Grand Prix. Jamie Chadwick wins the title in the final race.
2020
Season cancelled
The COVID-19 pandemic wipes out the year, but the championship becomes eligible for FIA Super Licence points.
2021
Onto the Formula 1 bill
Eight races supporting the Grand Prix calendar, Double R Racing takes over the cars, and commercial entrants arrive as 'teams'. Chadwick wins again.
2022
The money runs out
Accounts filed in September show net liabilities over £7.5 million. Three races are cancelled in October; Singapore is the last W Series race.
2022
F1 Academy announced
In November, Formula 1 launches its own all-female series a step below W Series, for 2023.
2023
Administration
The series is reported to have gone into administration in June. Its nineteen Tatuus chassis are put up for sale in September.
2024
Liquidation and the auction
722 lots go under the hammer at Dunsfold Park in January, and in July Formula E buys the series' intellectual property for £110,000.
07 — How the series changed
Three seasons, three shapes.
Standalone and self-contained
Six European rounds away from Formula 1, twenty cars in unsponsored W Series liveries, chassis and engineers drawn from a hat at every event.
The Formula 1 years begin
Eight races on Grand Prix weekends, Double R Racing running the cars as 'Fine Moments', and nine two-car commercial entrants brought in to attract investment.
Two chassis, then none
Toyota Racing Series shipped eighteen Tatuus–Toyota F3 FT-60s by sea to Barcelona and Singapore to cut the freight footprint. Only engineers were swapped between drivers that year. The season never finished.
Wound up
Administration, redundancies, an auction of everything from trophies to vacuum cleaners, and the name itself sold to Formula E.
08 — Champions and alumni
Racers who defined their eras.
Champion, all three seasons
Jamie Chadwick
2019, 2021 and 2022 W Series Champion · the only champion the series ever had · later Williams Driver Academy, then Indy NXT
Alice Powell
Runner-up in 2019 and 2021, and the driver who beat Chadwick to end her six-race winning run at the Hungaroring in 2022.
2× runner-up
Beitske Visser
Runner-up in the inaugural 2019 season, and winner of the final race the series ever ran, at Singapore in 2022.
Won the last W Series race
Marta García
A W Series regular who dropped back to F1 Academy and won its inaugural championship in 2023 with Prema.
F1 Academy champion 2023
Abbi Pulling
Raced W Series in 2022, then became an Alpine Academy affiliate and won the 2024 F1 Academy title by 123 points.
F1 Academy champion 2024
Jessica Hawkins
Hired as an Aston Martin ambassador after the series folded, and later raced in the British Touring Car Championship.
Aston Martin ambassador
Emma Kimiläinen
A front-runner across all three seasons who led much of the 2022 opener in Miami before a last-lap gearbox failure.
Race winner
Nerea Martí
Took a surprise pole for the 2022 Miami opener, and moved to F1 Academy when the series folded.
Pole-sitter, 2022
Sarah Bovy
One of several alumni who moved into endurance racing, competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
WEC racer
09 — Defining events
Crises, controversies and turning points.
The segregation argument
The series drew criticism from the day it was announced. IndyCar's Pippa Mann called it "a sad day for motorsport" and "an historic step backwards"; Charlie Martin argued it sent a message that segregation in sport was acceptable. The debate never went away.
A grid in front of Formula 1
Moving onto the Grand Prix support bill gave an all-female field the largest audience it had ever had, and remains the series' clearest achievement.
The accounts become public
Filings at Companies House on 5 September show net liabilities above £7.5 million, with creditors including the hospitality supplier and Whisper — the production company part-owned by David Coulthard, himself a W Series shareholder.
Three races cancelled
On 10 October the remaining Austin and Mexico rounds are dropped. Chadwick is declared champion. The chief executive says the series will be back in 2023.
Formula 1 builds its own
F1 Academy is announced in November, one rung below W Series. The two never coexisted.
£515 in profit, £23 million in debt
At closing the company had profits of £515 against debts of £23 million owed to 151 creditors — including US$20 million from a 2021 commercial entrant and US$52,000 from Caitlyn Jenner, who had backed a car in 2022.
10 — The entrants
Who actually ran the cars.
Operator
Hitech Grand Prix, then Double R Racing
W Series had no competing teams. One operator prepared every car — Hitech in 2019, Double R Racing as 'Fine Moments' from 2021 — while the entrants below were commercial backers of two-car entries, listed in the order they joined
#1
PUM
Puma2021 and 2022 · German sportswear brand, the only backer to stay for both seasons
#2
BNK
The Bunker2021 · American car club, later reported to owe the series US$20 million
#3
FOR
Forbes2021 · American business magazine
#4
VEL
Veloce Racing2021 · British esports team
#5
JEN
Caitlyn Jenner2022 · American media personality, who backed Chadwick's title-winning entry
#6
BSM
Bristol Street Motors2022 · British car dealer
#7
QUA
Quantfury2022 · Bahamian-registered cryptocurrency exchange
#8
COR
CortDAO2022 · An NFT-based initiative fronted by Singapore oil trader Michael Livingston
11 — Frequently asked
W Series FAQ.
What was W Series?
An all-female single-seater championship that raced three seasons — 2019, 2021 and 2022 — on identical Tatuus cars. It was free to enter and paid prize money to every driver on the grid.
Does W Series still exist?
No. The series never raced after October 2022, went into administration in 2023 and was liquidated. Formula E bought its intellectual property for £110,000 in July 2024.
Why did W Series fold?
Money. Accounts filed in September 2022 showed net liabilities above £7.5 million, and the last three races of that season were cancelled a month later. At closing the company had £515 in profit against £23 million of debt owed to 151 creditors.
Who won W Series?
Jamie Chadwick won all three championships — 2019, 2021 and 2022. She is the only champion the series ever had.
Why was there no 2020 season?
It was cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic before any races were held.
What car did W Series use?
A Tatuus F3 T-318 with an Autotecnica-tuned Alfa Romeo 1.8-litre turbocharged engine producing 270 hp, a halo, and Hankook tyres. For two 2022 rounds the series ran eighteen Tatuus–Toyota F3 FT-60s shipped by sea from the Toyota Racing Series to cut freight emissions.
Did W Series have teams?
Not in the usual sense. One operator ran every car — Hitech Grand Prix in 2019, Double R Racing from 2021 — and the 'teams' introduced in 2021 were commercial backers of two-car entries, brought in to attract investment.
Why were chassis drawn at random?
To remove any equipment advantage. In 2019 each driver drew a chassis and an engineer at every event. From 2021 the drivetrains of the top three finishers were swapped with three randomly drawn cars that had finished between sixth and fourteenth.
How much did W Series drivers earn?
The prize fund was US$1.5 million: $500,000 for the champion, $250,000 for second, $125,000 for third, and payments all the way down to $7,500 for the reserves. Several drivers said the 2022 money was never paid.
Was W Series free to enter?
Yes. Drivers paid nothing and were not required to bring sponsorship — the point was to select on merit rather than budget.
Is F1 Academy the same as W Series?
No, but it replaced it. Formula 1 announced F1 Academy in November 2022, a Formula 4-level series one step below W Series, and it began racing in 2023. The two never ran alongside each other.
Why was W Series criticised?
Critics argued it segregated female drivers rather than including them in existing championships. IndyCar's Pippa Mann called the announcement "an historic step backwards", and Charlie Martin said it sent a message that segregation in sport was acceptable. Supporters countered that no other route was funding these drivers at all.
Where did W Series drivers go?
Jamie Chadwick joined the Williams Driver Academy and later raced Indy NXT; Jessica Hawkins became an Aston Martin ambassador and raced in the BTCC; Juju Noda went to Super Formula; Marta García and Abbi Pulling both dropped to F1 Academy and won its first two championships. Others moved into endurance racing.
Is Kozmozracing affiliated with W Series?
No. W Series no longer exists, and Kozmozracing is an independent store, not affiliated with or endorsed by it, its former operators or any driver.
Sources
- W Series: history, format, cars, champions and demise · Wikipedia
- 2022 W Series: the final season · Wikipedia
- List of W Series drivers · Wikipedia
- Jamie Chadwick, three-time W Series champion · Wikipedia
- Tatuus F3 T-318, the W Series chassis · Wikipedia
- wseries.com, archived March 2023 · Internet Archive
- Photo: Chadwick's Veloce-liveried W Series car, Austria 2021, by Lukas Raich · Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo: Jamie Chadwick at Brands Hatch, 2019, by Jake Archibald · Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo: W Series Tatuus F3 T-318 in Bristol Street Motors colours, by Calreyn88 · Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Independent fan guide: W Series is defunct and this page is a historical record. Figures on the series' collapse are drawn from published reports and filings. Championship, team and driver names belong to their respective rights holders.
12 — The collection
W Series-inspired collection.
No products are assigned to W Series yet. Add products to this series in the product editor.