Jessica Hawkins says W Series can't die as the rewards will still come

Aston Martin driver ambassador Jessica Hawkins says it should not be an option to allow the W Series - motor racing's female-only championship - to become extinct.

There are grave concerns for the future of the series after it was forced to abandon its most recent season with three rounds remaining.

W Series chiefs remain hopeful the cash-strapped championship will return next year.

But the emergence of plans at last weekend's United States Grand Prix for a Formula 1-backed women's category aimed at younger drivers has placed further doubts over the likelihood of the W Series continuing.

British driver Hawkins, who has competed in all three W Series campaigns, said: "We can't let the first ground-breaking women's motor racing series fail. We can't let it happen, not in 2022. It is not an option."

Stay up to speed on the latest Formula 1 news by subscribing to our FREE newsletter, 'The Undercut'

A new female racing series?

The W Series was established in 2019 to serve as a springboard to F1, with British driver Jamie Chadwick securing a hat-trick of championships.

But despite her success, Chadwick, 24, has been unable to lock down a seat in one of F1's feeder divisions, Formula Two or Formula Three.

It has been 46 years since a female competitor - the Italian Lella Lombardi - took part in an F1 race and eight years since Susie Wolff, who is married to Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, competed in a Grand Prix practice session.

The proposed new female racing series, which could launch as early as next year, is understood to want to focus on drivers aged between 16 and 22, with a direct path to F1's feeder categories.

Hawkins added: "I welcome this championship, but I don't think it will cure the issue of why there hasn't been a