The all-female racing championship W Series has entered administration, eight months after prematurely concluding its third season. Kevin Ley and Henry Shinners of Evelyn Partners LLP have been appointed as joint administrators of the series, marking an uncertain future for the championship.
Established in 2019 as a junior championship for women racers, W Series gained attention for its mission to provide a platform for female drivers to showcase their skills. Jamie Chadwick emerged as the victor in the inaugural season and continued her success in both 2021 and the curtailed 2022 season. However, the 2020 championship did not take place due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Financial difficulties plagued the series, leading to the cancellation of its final three races in 2022, which were scheduled to be held at Circuit of the Americas in the USA and the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico. Despite hopes of securing backing and continuing the championship, no plans were announced for a fourth season.
Kevin Ley, one of the appointed administrators, expressed the disappointment surrounding the news: “The news will be upsetting for the company’s employees and drivers together with the worldwide supporters of the championship. The company had been unable to commit to the 2023 race season due to its liquidity position.”
The administrators confirmed that only one staff member remained, believed to be CEO Catherine Bond Muir. Evelyn Partners LLP aims to explore all available options to potentially restart W Series in the future. They are currently seeking expressions of interest in the business and assets of the company.
I was the launch Comms Director of #WSeries, I worked for it from the start until November 2020, & I loved every minute of it. I’m gutted to hear that it’s gone into administration, but working with these wonderful women was & will always be one of the highlights of my career. pic.twitter.com/Z1nDWqUbpo
— Matt Bishop 🏳️🌈 🏁 (@TheBishF1) June 15, 2023While W Series faces an uncertain future, Formula 1 announced the establishment of F1 Academy, a separate junior championship for female racers, in 2022. F1 Academy has already held three race weekends this season and is set to appear as a support event at the United States Grand Prix in October, with plans to hold all of its races at grand prix weekends in the upcoming year.