Vanity Fair UK – September 2019

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From top: W Series in action; British drivers

Sarah Moore, Alice Powell, Jessica Hawkins,

Jamie Chadwick and Esmee Hawkey; CEO

Catherine Bond Muir on the pit-lane wall;

Jessica Hawkins in race mode

W

Series shouldn’t have to

exist, yet the relative

absence of women from the

world of motor racing tells us that there

is a pressing need for it. Having worked

as a lawyer in the sporting milieu for

many years, I knew that there was a

gaping disparity between men and

women—a factor not of capability but

of opportunity. So here we are: a

women-only single-seater championship

that offers equal equipment and a

generous prize fund, enabling female

drivers to establish their credentials.

LONDON - OCTOBER 2018

On my way to an interview on BBC

Radio 4’s Today programme, it struck

me that in all my previous business

experience I’d never been front of

house. Our advisory board includes

David Coulthard, Adrian Newey and

Sean Wadsworth, who bring a wealth

of experience in driving, engineering

and business, but I was going to be the

public, female face of this enterprise.

WACHAURING - JANUARY 2019

Our mission here was to condense our

shortlist of 55 drivers down to 28 through

an intensive course of psychometric

tests, fitness assessments, media drills

and driving exercises devised by Le

Mans 24 Hours winner Alex Wurz. The

emphasis was on skill, outlook and

aptitude rather than outright speed, as

reflected by our choice of cars: Ford

Fiesta STs and Porsche Caymans.

ALMERĪA - MARCH 2019

In the balmier climes of southern

Spain, we unleashed our candidates

on actual race cars: Tatuus chassis

with 1.8-litre turbocharged engines. In

order to whittle our shortlist down to

18, we watched how the drivers

worked with the engineers from

Hitech GP and our logistics crew. The

professionalism displayed by our team

assured me that we were going to put

on an excellent show.

LAUSTIZRING - APRIL 2019

Having run the driver selection out of

public view, it was time to show the

world that we were ready. Our

prestigious slot on the support

programme of the German Touring

Car series (DTM) brings huge

exposure, as do the live TV deals we’ve

secured with broadcasters including

Channel 4. I was acutely aware that, to

change the minds of sceptics, we had to

put on a great show. To that end, we

focused on operational minutiae rather

than setting fast lap times—for the

latter, we had to wait until Hockenheim.

HOCKENHEIM - MAY 2019

As the 18 cars lined up, I realised that

I’d never imagined what this moment—

the moment the series took flight—

would actually be like. We nailed it

from beginning to end. The rehearsals

paid off: our paddock presence was

slick, and the crew delivered total

reliability and equal equipment.

We welcomed guests including

Claire Williams, deputy team principal

of the Williams Formula 1 team, and

Desiré Wilson, one of the very few

female Formula 1 competitors. But

what gave us real credibility was the

professionalism of our drivers. As you

read this, we’ll be gearing up for our

final round of 2019 at Brands Hatch

(August 10 to 11). Three years of planning

for a three-month racing season—but

what a way to make history.

Diary of the W Series CEO The brains

behind the innovative women’s racing

series tells the behind-the-scenes story

Racing

By Cather ine Bond Muir

VANITY FAIR EN ROUTE SEPTEMBER 2019

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