W Series reveals 28 drivers progress in first selection stage

The W Series has named the 28 female drivers who have progressed through the first stage of the selection process ahead of the inaugural season.

After receiving over 100 applications within its first month of launching last November, all entrants had been whittled down to a 55-strong long-list, with 54 of them taking part in a three-day on-and-off-track trial including fitness tests and psychometric profiling, as well as multiple driving skill tests, at Wachauring in Austria. All entrants were judged by David Coulthard, Alex Wurz, Lyn St James and Dave Ryan.

28 drivers have progressed to the next stage of selection, a four-day test in the W Series Tatuus F318 Formula 3 car taking place in late March, before the expected 18-driver grid and two reserve drivers list is finalised.

The first-ever W Series is set to race at six events on the DTM programme in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy and the UK between May to August this year.

“All W Series' qualifier-drivers here at the Wachauring are superstars, every single one of them,” Catherine Bond Muir, W Series CEO said. “But the sad fact is that not all of them will continue to the next stage of our driver selection programme. That's competition. That's sport. That's racing.

“So to all of them who’ve made it through to the next stage, I say: congratulations and good luck in Almeria [Spain] in March, the final stage of our driver selection programme.

“And to those of them who haven’t made it through to the next stage, I say: obviously, today is a sad day.

“But one thing I've seen over the past three days, and that I've been massively impressed by, is that each and every one of our qualifier-drivers is tough, brave and strong. And of course we'll therefore encourage them to work hard on their driving for the next few months and then consider re-applying for the 2020 W Series season when the time comes.”

The 28 drivers who have qualified for the next stage of the W Series selection process:

Sarah Bovy, Belgium

Jamie Chadwick, UK

Sabre Cook, USA

Natalie Decker, USA

Marta Garcia, Spain

Megan Gilkes, Canada

Grace Gui, China 

Esmee Hawkey, UK

Jessica Hawkins, UK

Shea Holbrook, USA

Francesca Linossi, Italy

Vivien Keszthelyi, Hungary

Emma Kimilainen, Finland

Natalia Kowalska, Poland

Stephane Kox, The Netherlands

Miki Koyama, Japan

Milou Mets, The Netherlands

Sarah Moore, UK

Tasmin Pepper, South Africa

Vicky Piria, Italy

Alice Powell, UK

Gosia Rdest, Poland

Naomi Schiff, Belgium

Shirley Van Der Lof, The Netherlands

Beitske Visser, The Netherlands

Alexandra Whitley, Australia

Fabienne Wohlwend, Liechtenstein

Caitlin Wood, Australian