Grand Tour’s Abbie Eaton Reflects On “Groundbreaking” Race Series Coming To An End

The Grand Tour racing driver Abbie Eaton has taken to Twitter to express her sincere feelings after it was confirmed that the all-female racing championship, W Series, has landed in administration.

The former W Series driver tweeted:

“W Series enters administration. Regardless as to whether you agreed with it or not, W Series was groundbreaking. It may have come to an end, but it has done exactly what it was intended to do – inspire thousands of young girls across the globe. Thank you to everyone @ W”

W Series enters administration.

Regardless as to whether you agreed with it or not, W Series was groundbreaking.

It may have come to an end, but it has done exactly what it was intended to do – inspire thousands of young girls across the globe.

Thank you to everyone @ W ❤️ pic.twitter.com/CCpu84AB8X

— Abbie Eaton (@AbbieEaton44) June 15, 2023

The W Series hit a financial roadblock, going into administration less than a year after its third season was cut short due to monetary constraints. This series, a platform exclusive to female racers, made its debut in 2019. After the cancellation of the 2020 season due to the global pandemic, the championship bounced back to join the Formula 1 support bill. However, fiscal challenges resulted in an abrupt end to the 2022 season.

Despite the premature end to the 2022 season, Jamie Chadwick, a British racer, clinched her third consecutive title at the Singapore round in September. At that time, the series’ administrators had high hopes of making a comeback in 2023. Sadly, the recent turn of events saw the appointment of Kevin Ley and Henry Shinners from Evelyn Partners LLP as Joint Administrators. They pledged their commitment to find potential avenues to revive the W Series in future.

Although the W Series faced this setback, the drive to promote women in motorsports hasn’t lost momentum. The F1 Academy, helmed by Susie Wolff, is at the forefront of efforts to draw more women into motorsport. The academy, functioning at the Formula 4 level, aims to channel female talent towards Formula 1. Despite this lofty goal, Wolff estimates a ten-year timeline before we see a strong female presence in F1.