The W Series announced the driver lineup for the upcoming 2022 season. After pre-season tests at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain, and Inde Motorsports Ranch in Arizona, W Series’ racing director Dave Ryan selected nine drivers to join the eight drivers that automatically qualified by finishing in the top eight of the 2021 W Series championship standings.
“This year, we expanded our driver search and testing program by staging pre-season tests in both the USA and Europe, and that decision has paid dividends,” said Dave Ryan, racing director W Series. “The class of 2022 represents 10 different countries, and more than a quarter of the grid are new talents making their W Series debut.”
Five drivers are making their W Series debut in 2022: Juju Noda (Japan, 16), Chloe Chambers (USA, 17), Bianca Bustamante (Philippines, 17), Tereza Babickova (Czechoslovakia, 18), and Emely De Heus (Netherlands, 19).
To provide further opportunities for women in motorsports the 18th and final spot on the grid is left open to give racing experience to a pool of reserve drivers who have shown promise during the previous season and testing.
In 2022, the W Series will run eight support races at Formula 1 grand prix weekends, starting in May in Miami.
“As we stage Formula 1 support races in three continents this season, the opportunity for W Series drivers in 2022 is unprecedented,” Ryan said. “It will be interesting to see how they all handle the pressure of racing on motorsport’s greatest stage, and I’m looking forward to the first race of the season in Miami in May.”
The 17 drivers confirmed for the 2022 W Series season:
- Tereza Babickova
- Bianca Bustamante
- Jamie Chadwick
- Chloe Chambers
- Emely De Heus
- Belén García
- Marta Garcia
- Jessica Hawkins
- Emma Kimiläinen
- Nerea Martí
- Sarah Moore
- Juju Noda
- Alice Powell
- Abbi Pulling
- Bruna Tomaselli
