It was recently announced that the W Series should be discontinued. Series CEO Kathryn Bond-Muir hopes the tournament will still be able to fund every seat despite the financial problems.
Historically, all women’s motorsport classes have never required financial support from female drivers, unlike smaller classes such as F3 or F2, which require drivers to make a payment to race during the season. This was done to facilitate the entry of the participants, and to give them the opportunity to show their talents instead of worrying about the financial aspect.
In a media interview, Bond said: “As far as we are concerned at the moment, we want to preserve the DNA of the W Series and we still intend to save all expenses for female drivers.”
Catherine told a video conference earlier this week what would be the fate of the W Series and announced she would not compete in the US and Mexico stages due to a lack of support from F1. “that they [as pilotos] They were getting it, but actually, the feeling that came out of it was, “Yeah, that’s disgusting. But Catherine, that’s what we’ve been dealing with for 20 years. We had promises of money, we had contractual obligations for money, and it just didn’t happen.”
Bond stressed the importance of entering this category to continue being a nimble category, where female drivers can find it very difficult to find sponsors. “We have always said we want the best female drivers, not the richest. Most W Series drivers have a very difficult time finding sponsorship.
“It is very difficult for the male side, but it is even more difficult for the women. You just have to compare what is happening to us with all the other female sports. The road is difficult.”
Bond believes what happened to England’s women’s soccer team, which gained more recognition after winning Euro 2022, could happen to a number of women’s sports. “The only sport that seems to have any kind of par with the men’s team is tennis. Football in this country [Reino Unido] He had a huge impact in winning the European Championship.
“They win the audience in the stands, we win the fans on TV. While I don’t compare myself to football because they have had a lot more time than we have, my general belief is that women’s sport will continue to grow exponentially.”
As restrictive measures continue into 2021 at the Formula 1 circuit, this has created coexistence bubbles as outside guests are not allowed. Catherine believes that this hindered opportunities to attract investment.
“I think what was difficult for us last year was the lack of guests. A closed season last year prevented us from having good sales this year.
“As those who have come to the W Series circuit know, it’s great to see all the cars being pushed together, and all the drivers getting into the car together.
“This appears to be where we have been most successful in securing the deal. [de investimento] And so there was a backlash this year because of that.”
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