W Series 2022 Driver Line-Up Confirmed

With the first race in Miami on the 8 May fast approaching, W Series have confirmed who will be joining last season’s top eight drivers in securing a seat for the 2022 season.

The 2021 season saw Jamie Chadwick defend her title as the W Series Champion, after competing in eight races around the globe and accumulating 159 points. The top eight scoring drivers from 2021 automatically qualified for a 2022 seat meaning reigning champion Chadwick will be joined by Alice Powell, Emma Kimiläinen, Nerea Martí, Sarah Moore, Fabienne Wohlwend, Abbi Pulling and Beitske Visser.

The remaining seats were decided following pre-season tests at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Barcelona and the Inde Motorsports Ranch in Arizona. Here, the drivers were assessed by Dave Ryan, W Series Race Director, and his team.

Out of the nine recently selected drivers, we see five new faces: Tereza Babickova, Bianca Bustamante, Chloe Chambers, Emely De Heus and Juju Noda. Creating opportunities and encouraging a place for as many women in motorsport as possible is a strong aim for the sport. W Series is promoting this view by leaving the final seat open to its reserve drivers so they can gain further experience during the 2022 season.

Dave Ryan explained, “As the profile of W Series grows, the talent pool and standard of our driver line-up increases, and the 2022 W Series grid is the strongest yet. This year, we expanded our driver search and testing programme by staging pre-season tests in both the USA and Europe, and that decision has paid dividends.

“The class of 2022 represents 10 different countries, and more than a quarter of the grid are new talents making their W Series debut. The five rookies are well-prepared and join a group of proven W Series performers who know what it’s all about. In the spirit of W Series, they will all drive each other forwards.”

The 17 confirmed 2022 drivers are:

Tereza Babickova, Czech Repulic, 18Bianca Bustamante, Philippines, 17Jamie Chadwick, UK, 23Chloe Chambers, USA, 17Emely De Heus, The Netherlands, 19Belén García, Spain, 22Marta Garcia, Spain, 21Jessica Hawkins, UK, 27Emma Kimiläinen, Finland, 32Nerea Martí, Spain, 20Sarah Moore, UK, 28Juju Noda, Japan, 16Alice Powell, UK, 29Abbi Pulling, UK, 18Bruna Tomaselli, Brazil, 24Beitske Visser, The Netherlands, 26Fabienne Wohlwend, Liechtenstein, 24