W Series has chosen 28 drivers for the next round of selection process

Twenty-eight drivers were chosen to participate in the next round of the selection process for the inaugural season of the W Series, the all-new single-seater racing series for female drivers only.

Fifty-four female drivers spent a weekend at the Wachauring in Melk, Austria, attending the three-day selection event in front of the international jury of motorsport experts. The judges are David Coulthard, Alex Wurz, Lyn St. James and Dave Ryan.

They make a final selection of 28 drivers that will be invited to the four-day test in the W Series Tatuus F318 Formula 3 car in late March. Then, twenty drivers (18 competitors plus 2 reserves) would be chosen for the inaugural season of the competition that will be a support series to the DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters). The first season features six events in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy and the UK, running from May through to August.

The first part of a selection process took part at Wachauring

Catherine Bond Muir, W Series CEO said: “All W Series’ qualifier-drivers here at the Wachauring are superstars, every single one of them. 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 in March, the final stage of our driver selection programme.”

The following 28 qualifier-drivers have made it through to 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 (Netherlands)
Miki Koyama (Japan)
Milou Mets (Netherlands)
Sarah Moore (UK)
Tasmin Pepper (South Africa)
Vicky Piria (Italy)
Alice Powell (UK)
Gosia Rdest (Poland)
Naomi Schiff (Belgium)
Shirley Van Der Lof (Netherlands)
Beitske Visser (Netherlands)
Alexandra Whitley (Australia)
Fabienne Wohlwend (Liechtenstein)
Caitlin Wood (Australia)