Williams development driver Jamie Chadwick is the first winner of the all-female W Series after the 2019 season finale at Brands Hatch.
Chadwick came into the final W Series weekend at Brands Hatch – her home event – with a 13 points advantage over Dutch Beitske Visser, with Spain’s Marta Garcia a further 23 points away in the Top 3.
The chances for the latter looked pretty slim but a retirement for Chadwick would have opened up her fortune. It wasn’t to be as Chadwick claimed pole for the season’s final race to be in the best position possible.
Her nearest rival Visser was only fifth. Chadwick then made a good start in the final race to lead Alice Powell, Emma Kimilainen and Visser in the opening stages – but the four drivers stayed closed together.
In a solid wheel-to-wheel fight, Powell emerged as the new leader with Kimilainen going through as well, as Chadwick dropped to third ahead of Visser. The Dutch racer eventually got past her rival but it was too late.
She ended up third on the road with Powell wining the finale at her home event ahead of Kimilainen, but Chadwick’s fourth place was enough to create history by becoming the first winner of the W Series.
It is also her second championship win after MRF Challenge, with 110 points to her name as Visser had to content with second with 100 points in her kitty, while Powell dislodged Garcia to end up third with 76 points in all.
Chadwick finished the season with two wins and five podiums in total with Brands Hatch being her first race outside the podium. Visser ended up with one win and four podiums, which was same for Powell.