Jamie Chadwick wins third W Series title as remaining races cancelled

The final three races of the W Series calendar will not go ahead, bringing the 2022 season to an early end and handing championship leader Jamie Chadwick her third consecutive title.

A couple of weeks ago CEO Catherine Bond revealed that there was uncertainty over W Series’ future after funding that had been tied down under contract still hadn’t arrived.

Without the money to run a planned race in the USA and a double-header finale in Mexico, a statement confirmed that "the decision has been made to focus on the longer-term fundraising process to enable the longevity and financial health of W Series into 2023 and beyond".

W Series has enjoyed something of a breakthrough this year, joining the F1 support bill with races in Miami, Barcelona, Silverstone, Paul Ricard, the Hungaroring and most recently under the lights on Singapore’s street circuit. Meanwhile Sky Sports landed UK broadcasting rights, with highlights appearing on Channel 4.

Although the race cancellations will be a bitter blow, Bond insists that “there are many positive conversations ongoing behind the scenes” to secure the series’ future.

“Having set up W Series in 2018, I am acutely accustomed to the relentless work that goes on to not only keep our business operational, but also acquire the fundraising and sponsorship to grow our business further, supporting our talented drivers and hard-working personnel who put their heart and soul into driving W Series and our mission forward,” Bond continued. “We are grateful for the continued support of our incredible and growing fanbase, and we hope to share positive news regarding the future of W Series in the coming weeks.

“Finally, I want to extend a huge congratulations to our triple-champion Jamie Chadwick. She has dominated the 2022 W Series and this championship is well-deserved. We have been and always will be incredibly proud and supportive of her career and wish her well in her next exciting chapter.”

Chadwick ends the season with a 50-point lead over her nearest rival, having won the first five races of the season in a row. It’s not yet clear if she’ll receive the $500,000 prize money she was set to earn for backing up her championship victories from 2019 and 2021.

Bond added: “To all our W Series drivers, I’d like to express both pride and sincere gratitude for your professionalism and talent, providing entertaining and exciting racing all season long, and for your continually unwavering support as we navigate the next steps for our series. We will always work hard to provide women racing drivers the opportunities to achieve success and we will not stop fighting to continue the work W Series has started to support women in motorsport.”