2021 and Beyond for W Series

With the news that Audi will be pulling out of DTM at the end of 2020, putting the series under threat of ceasing to exist, the people in charge at the all-female single-seater racing championship W Series will be looking at what they do next if they have to leave the DTM support package.

Audi’s bombshell means that BMW will be the only manufacturer left in DTM and they can’t supply a whole grid of cars by themselves. And with Mercedes and the customer-ran Aston Martin’s already out the door, it is looking more likely that 2020 could be the last we see of DTM.

While the attention and focus is, understandably, on the German touring car series that provides some of the fastest tin-top racing anywhere in the world, the series’ that follow them around on the support package are also in potential danger.

And the highest profile of these support championships is W Series.

Debuting in 2018, W Series defied the sceptics, myself included I admit, and provided not only fabulous wheel-to-wheel racing across seven races, but also a platform for those female drivers, who previously may have struggled for sponsors, budget and exposure, to gain opportunities in the wider motorsport landscape that they may not have got without the series.

Following the DTM series in their first year gave the drivers a chance to race on circuits they never would have before such as the super-quick Norisring street circuit and the delightfully flowing Assen. Most, if not all, of the drivers won’t have raced at these locations before and it would’ve been the same in 2020 – thanks COVID-19 – with trips to Anderstorp (Sweden) and Igora Drive (Russia) on the menu.

But now, they have to look forward to a potential future without DTM and therefore need to find another series they can support.

The first logical place to look would be right at the top with Formula One. The series already has a deal to be a support race at both Mexico City and Circuit of the Americas in 2020 but with Formula 2 and 3 already providing sufficient added racing to race weekends throughout the year, and especially in Europe where most W Series races take place, a full-time deal would be unlikely – but not impossible, I’ve been wrong before!

So, where next? Well it would most likely be with a mainly European based series as that’s the natural home of most drivers and team personnel and maybe the elusive future home of W Series is with endurance racing?

The GT World Challenge series, International GT Challenge and the European Le Mans Series could all be viable options for W Series’ next steps with a wider variety of tracks once again and it gives those eyeing a future in GT or prototype racing a perfect arena to showcase their ability. But they would have to be aware of any single-seater championships already on the support package for these series to avoid confliction.

Of course, “rival series” is an odd one W Series. Technically, Formula European Master, EuroFormula and national F4 series are all rivals, but with a female-only focus and Formula 1 motif, does W Series dare call these out publically as rivals?

Another path could be to stay with a touring car championship with the World Touring Car Cup. In 2019, the WTCC went all over the world showcasing top class racing at tracks such as Ningbo (China), Marrakesh (Morocco) and the Slovakiaring which again gives drivers a valuable chance to test their skills on new tracks. And let’s not forget, the WTCC also races at the legendary Macau Grand Prix, maybe a move could mean that the top three in the championship can get a drive at the F3 World Cup as something of a ‘prize’ for their performances throughout the season.

Those are the two sensible choices, now, let’s go rogue! One other European series could be the most unlikely but fruitful partnerships for W Series. Ladies and gentlemen, the FIA European Truck Racing Championship.

That’s right… TRUCK RACING. Just hear me out ok. The Truck Series hasn’t (to my knowledge) got many support series so I’m sure they wouldn’t mind another championship to bulk out their weekend timetables. Additionally, the exposure and following the W Series has grown in just 12 months would definitely be beneficial for the Truck Series, with so many new eyes on their racing for probably the first time.

Finally, could there be a possibility of W Series going solo? DTM provided a loyal and dedicated fan base that would bulk out the weekend and make TV deals easier to negotiate, but with support from those at the very top of the motorsport ladder, is there the finance for them to set up their own European-wide circus. If DTM does truly die out that leaves a space and it might be a tempting offer for Porsche Carrera Cup Germany and whatever is left of the DTM and DTM Trophy. That’s not to mention other small series that could benefit from TV exposure through Whisper Films.

While GT or touring cars seems the likely destination, only time will tell where W Series will be racing from 2021 onwards.