The W Series has released names of 55 racers from around globe who have been shortlisted to fight for a place on the grid which will comprise of 18 racers.
The much-talked series kicks off in May 2019 and will run as a support event to the DTM races. The organisers will use the F3 cars with a shortlisted 55 names revealed in the initial list which will be cut down to 18.
The list has mix of drivers with youngsters and experienced racers from around the globe named – not just the single-seaters racers but also the GT and endurance drivers have been listed to be crunched down further.
Names like Carmen Jorda, Beitske Visser, Jamie Chadwick, Marta Garcia, Emma Kimilainen, Amna Al Qubaisi, Stephane Cox feature on the list.
Full list:
Ayla Agren, 25, Norway
Amna Al Qubaisi,18, UAE
Chelsea Angelo, 22, Australia
Carmen Boix, 23, Spain
Sarah Bovy, 29, Belgium
Toni Breidinger, 19, USA
Ivana Cetinich, 22, South Africa
Jamie Chadwick, 20, UK
Veronika Cicha, 31, Czech Republic
Sabre Cook, 24, USA
Courtney Crone, 17, USA
Natalie Decker, 21, USA
Mira Erda, 18, India
Carlotta Fedeli, 26, Italy
Cassie Gannis, 27, USA
Marta Garcia, 18, Spain
Michelle Gatting, 24, Denmark
Angelique Germann, 27 Germany
Megan Gilkes, 17, Canada
Samin Gomez, 26, Venezuela
Grace Gui, 27, China
Michelle Halder, 19, Germany
Esmee Hawkey, 20, UK
Jessica Hawkins, 23, UK
Shea Holbrook, 28, USA
Carmen Jorda, 30, Spain
Vivien Keszthelyi, 17, Hungary
Emma Kimilainen, 29, Finland
Natalia Kowalska, 28, Poland
Stephane Kox, 24, Netherland
Miki Koyama, 21, Japan
Fabienne Lanz, 32, South Africa
Milla Mäkelä, 25, Finland
Alexandra Marinescu, 18, Romania
Milou Mets, 28, Netherlands
Sheena Monk, 29, USA
Sarah Moore, 25, UK
Marylin Niederhauser, 22, Germany
Tasmin Pepper, 28, South Africa
Vicky Piria, 24, Italy
Taegen Poles, 20, Canada
Alice Powell, 25, UK
Charlotte Poynting, 20, Australia
Naomi Schiff, 24, Belgium
Carrie Schriener, 20, Germany
Sharon Scolari, 23, Switzerland
Doreen Seidel, 33, Germany
Siti Shahkirah, 24, Malaysia
Sneha Sharma, 28, India
Bruna Tomasell, 21, Brazil
Shirley Van Der Lof, 31, Netherlands
Beitske Visser, 23, Netherlands
Fabienne Wohlwend, 21, Lichenstein
Caitlin Wood, 21, Australia
Hanna Zellers, 21, USA
“We are thrilled but perhaps not surprised by the response,” said Catherine Bond Muir, W Series’ CEO. “Even today there is a massive gender imbalance in motorsport and W Series is making the first step to correct that.
“Drivers from all over the world have stepped forward, so it’s clear that with the right framework we can make the changes this sport desperately needs.”
David Coulthard added: “We designed W Series specifically to shine a light on female talent right around the world. I can’t wait to be part of the next stage and to see some of that talent in action.”
The drivers have two and a half month to prepare for the test to be one of the final 18 with a three and a half day off-track test lined up which will include fitness tests and psychometric profiling and multiple driving skill tests.
Coulthard will be joined by former F1 driver Alex Wurz in the judging panel which will also include W Series Racing Director Dave Ryan. The final list will be provided after a track test in the 2019 Tatuus T-318 ahead of the season opener in May.
UPDATE: Six more names were added to the original list of 55 racers, taking the tally to total 61 drivers for the selection to be held at Wachauring in Melk (Austria) in late January. The names added are:
Alessandra Brena, 23, Italy
Francesca Linossi, 26, Italy
Andreyeva Lyubov, 22, Kazakhstan
Gosia Rdest, 25, Poland
Ines Taittinger, 28, France
Alexandra Whitley, 25, Australia