LONDON – 6-time Formula One particular earth champion Lewis Hamilton named for far more females in motorsport right after the all-feminine W Collection announced on Thursday it will be supporting Formulation 1 at 8 grand prix events up coming time.
There are no female drivers in Formulation A single, with Italian Lella Lombardi the very last to compete in a race in 1976, and girls racers are a rarity in the junior sequence that feed into the leading class.
Hamilton explained the partnership with W Sequence, which takes advantage of Method Three cars and aims to aid girls up the motorsport ladder, was a constructive step.
“When men and women communicate about range, men and women usually consider that we’re conversing about having a lot more people of colour,” said Hamilton, Formula One’s only Black driver.
“It is not just that. It is having a lot more gals concerned. At the instant it is a male-dominated sport and that does need to modify.”
No specifics were being given about which grand prix races the W collection would race at, even though founder and chief government Catherine Bond Muir advised reporters F1’s year-opener in Australia in March was likely far too early.
This year’s cancelled W Series championship would have supported the Mexican Grand Prix and United States Grand Prix in Oct, and that could all over again be a probability.
The collection began up in 2019 but cancelled racing this 12 months owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“When we promised that W Sequence would be larger and far better in the long term, partnering with Components 1 was normally our best aim,” reported Bond Muir.
“There is no doubt that, now that W Sequence will be operate along with and in collaboration with Components One, our world-wide access, affect and impact will be increased noticeably.”
Britain’s Jamie Chadwick was the inaugural champion of the series, which showcased six rounds supporting the German Touring Car or truck Championship (DTM) and compensated out $500,000 to the winner.
Top rated motorists in the collection will be eligible for points toward an FIA tremendous licence needed to race in Components 1.
Formula One’s running director for motorsport Ross Brawn claimed W Collection experienced been “a beacon to several” considering that the championship began.
“We feel it is amazingly important to give everyone the chance to achieve the best concentrations of our activity,” he included.
“Their partnership with System A person up coming season reveals our perseverance and dedication to showcase their fascinating series and the great importance of developing increased diversity across the sport.”
Bond Muir said the W Collection would prioritize free-to-air broadcasters, these types of as Britain’s Channel Four.
“We are not wanting for big bucks for Tv discounts, what we are searching for is access,” she mentioned. “We want to be a truly global, worldwide series and the only way we can do that is by finding into as numerous homes as attainable.”
Formula 1 this 7 days posted a draft 2021 calendar with a document 23 races managing from Australia in March to Abu Dhabi in December.
Reporting by Alan Baldwin, modifying by Toby Davis and Ken Ferris