Seven-time Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton says “way more” needs to be done to help W Series drivers progress beyond the category.
In 2019, W Series was launched as an all-female single-seater series to provide more opportunities to female drivers.
Currently in its third season, Jamie Chadwick is en route to score another title in the category, having triumphed in the previous two campaigns.
During the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, Hamilton ventured to the W Series paddock to speak to the W Series drivers, stating that he has been following the series for a number of years.
However, he feels more can be done to help the drivers progress forward in their career after W Series.
“I’ve been following the W Series all year and the last few years, and I wanted to try to get down there and to try to see the young, inspirational women there,” Hamilton said.
“I’ve been watching their races in-between sessions, and even today, I watched their race [in Hungary] so I really wanted to go down there.
“For them, I really feel it is great that we have the W Series, but we as a sport need to do way more for young girls getting into the sport and for these women, if there is no progression from there, from W Series.
“It has been three years, so we need to really work on trying to create something. When you win that, do you progress into GP2 [F2] or whatever it may be?
“We can definitely do a lot more to support those girls.”
Chadwick currently boasts a mammoth 75-point lead in the Drivers’ standings with four rounds remaining over Alice Powell and Beitske Visser, who both have 68 points to their name.
Last time out in Hungary, Powell won the race, marking the first time this season that anyone but Chadwick took to the top step of the podium.
Should be easy. Just get their rich parents to buy their way into F1. Just like Stroll and Latifi
Like most other sports that are still segregated, women could never physically compete with men in F1. This is why none of the W series drivers ever progress into F2 or F1. It’s nothing personal, it just how we are built as humans. Even W series champion Jamie Chadwick recently admitted this in a GMM article (another GMM article that was conveniently not posted here [even though this site is a GMM aggregate] – along with Hamilton admitting he lied to the FIA about his jewelry to cause trouble). The closest the world of motorsports have ever gotten to having a female champion in any serious level of racing was Michelle Mouton coming in second place in the 1982 WRC championship, and years ago she also admitted women cannot compete with men in these competitions and it took everything she had to even come in second (and a lot of that was down to bad luck for her male competitors, other season results show this). She said women have a “maternal instinct” that prevents them from taking as many risks than men, which also shows in every other form of work and why women make less than men on average in most countries (work less dangerous jobs = make less money).
And if one really needs more examples of this, just read about when Serena and Venus Williams thought they were the best in the world and challenged Karsten Braasch (who was already age 31 and ranked 200 in the world). He easily beat both of them while drinking beer and smoking cigarettes while playing. Needless to say, they never challenged another pro male player to a game of tennis and now laugh about even trying, because even they have accepted logic.
Wow, you must have just arrived from the 18th century.
lewis has a severe case of victim complex, which he also likes to push on other people just so he can talk and get more attention, or in this case probably get some action from young women. it’s 2022 and the average person doesn’t care about gender, race, or sexuality. if any of these women were capable of being within a tenth of the slowest f1 driver then someone would be putting them in a car asap just for the publicity and financial opportunities alone. but no one is doing this which goes to show that they cannot come close to competing with men, just like any other physical sport. as a woman i find it most offensive that people like lewis use such a patronizing tone towards the w series as if these women are ever going to make it to f1, rather than just simply admiring it for what it is, a female racing league and nothing more. it’s not a stepping stone to anything higher, especially f1. people don’t watch women’s track and think “i can’t wait to see these girls competing with men at the olympics someday”, because that’s not the purpose and it’s also a biological impossibility. f1 is no different, it’s a male series that is simply too demanding for anyone born as a female. any woman, or especially man, who cannot accept this fact needs to be institutionalised.
Hi Todd Powell. Changed your name?
You absolutely are spot on. Lewis continues to whine about whatever class of victim he announces for that day, when reality is that a woman who is competitive in F1 would have about 8 teams to choose from. Of course, if a woman was given vastly superior equipment to their competitors they may be competitive, it certainly worked for Lewis who has been an above average driver in the fastest car on the track.