(^16) 1 AUGUST 2019
here is little doubt that the
inaugural W Series can be
considered a unique addition
to 2019’s motorsport scene. At its launch
last autumn, W Series set out its mission
statement to enable a woman to one day
race at the highest level of motorsport,
breaking a glass ceiling imposed on
female drivers by decades of male
dominance and ultimately act as a
driving force for gender equality and
representation across all levels.
But W Series has also been “rethinking
racing” in a multitude of other ways not
seen in other junior single-seater formulas
- and central to all of that is the emphasis
that it places on driver performance.
The series has been clear that its
role is to promote the pure skill of
each driver in order to showcase the
otherwise unnoticed talent that can
be found on the grid, with each car
completely standardised and rotated
between each driver at the end of every
round. All the on-track data from each
driver is also available to everyone in
the fi eld, creating an environment of
constant evaluation.
W Series’ commitment to getting the
best out of its drivers is also evident in
the appointment of Hintsa Performance,
a leading light in human high-performance
training most famous for its work in
Formula 1 – with 13 F1 world championship
successes to its name since 1998. It is
available for coaching at every W Series
round and has been working with the
2019 grid since the initial stages of
the driver selection process.
Hintsa Performance trainers are also
made available to each driver away from
the track via an app, which also allows
them to tailor their coaching needs as
the season progresses.
T
MAKING THE
MOST OF
A SECOND
CHANCE
W Series is challenging
convention in many ways,
but its unique focus on
driver development is much
harder to disagree with
BY LUCY MORSON