Can W Series champion Jamie Chadwick hold her nerve at French Grand Prix debut?

The W Series returns to action this weekend for the fifth race of the 2022 season in support of the Formula 1 French Grand Prix.

The Championship will make its debut in Le Castellet and the majority of the drivers will compete at the Circuit Paul Ricard for the first time.

Reigning champion Jamie Chadwick currently tops the standings with 100 points, having won all four races so far this year.

The two-time W Series winner is in unstoppable form right now and has a third title set in her sights. However, anything can happen this weekend as the series prepares to take on a brand new track in its longest race calendar yet.

Since making her W Series debut during the inaugural Championship season in 2019, Chadwick has been the leading driver and the one everyone hopes to beat.

She won her first title after bagging two race wins and a further three podium positions out of the six-race campaign.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 season was called off. But the action resumed the following year, and for the reigning champion, it was like no time had passed at all.

It was a much tighter affair in 2021 as Chadwick was challenged by fellow British driver Alice Powell right from the opening race in Austria.

The title competition went right down to the wire. In never-before-seen circumstances, Chadwick and Powell entered the double-header finale weekend tied on points.

After back-to-back wins at the Circuit of the Americas, Chadwick defended her crown and remains the only woman to ever win a W Series Drivers’ Championship.

The 24-year-old carried her Austin form into the new year and now boasts six consecutive victories. With flawless drives in Miami, Barcelona and Silverstone, Chadwick is certainly the one to beat