Jamie Chadwick eclipses W Series rivals with back-to-back victories

Showcasing the talents of female drivers was the intent of the W Series, but at its opening two rounds in Miami this weekend it swiftly became all about the singular abilities of one woman in particular. Britain’s Jamie Chadwick won her second race in a row on Sunday at the Miami International Autodrome in an ominously strong start to the season by the double champion.

The W Series was first held in 2019 with the aim of giving female drivers a chance to compete where a lack of funding was curtailing, or in some cases stalling, their careers. The long-term goal is to return a female driver to Formula One, which has not had a woman compete at a grand prix since Lella Lombardi raced in Austria in 1976.

Chadwick won the opening season with a dominant display. In the second season, held in 2021, she was pushed to the wire by Britain’s Alice Powell, one of the drivers whose career had been resurrected by W Series. But Chadwick came out on top with victory in the season finale at Brands Hatch. Her consistency has been absolutely authoritative and, with victory here, she has been on the podium in every race since the second round of last season.

The 23-year-old from Bath had been hopeful of moving into the F1 feeder series, F3, this year, but admitted she did not have the right preparation nor the funding yet behind her to ensure a competitive drive. She has been unequivocal in saying she does not want to enter the series unless she can do it justice and has chosen to race in W Series again this year, while still targeting a move up to F3.

This season she is racing in the team backed by former Olympian Caitlyn Jenner and on Saturday, in an incident-packed race, she took the lead off the line, lost it in a tight battle with